Fifty Days to Heaven
by RRose
Summary: When Edward Cullen's soul separates from his body after a car accident, he realizes it's going to take a lot more than jumping back into it to get his life back. Fifty days should be plenty of time to find three tears of pure love, right? Based on 49 Days and Pure Love.
1. Chapter 1

Edward Cullen was having a bad day.

First, his alarm went off an hour after he'd set it. Then, upon arriving at work, he had to placate three angry board members who were not happy with some decisions he'd made. Now, the heavy Chicago traffic was making him late for his lunch date.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath as he looked at his expensive watch. It was half-past twelve – thirty minutes past the time he and his date agreed to meet for lunch. "Rose is going to kill me,"

Edward wished he was exaggerating with that thought. The last time he kept his fiancée waiting was about a month ago, but the embarrassing memory of her screaming at him at the restaurant was still fresh. And that time, he'd only been late for ten minutes.

Edward sighed as he patted his pockets for his phone. Upon checking it, he was surprised to see that he only had one voice mail from Rose registered.

"That's strange," he murmured. It wasn't like Rosalie to call just once; he was expecting something more along the fifty range. Well, Edward certainly wasn't complaining. He placed the phone at his ear and listened to the message.

"_Hi sweetie!" _Rose's high-pitched voice came through. _"You will _not _believe who I just ran into - it's Kate Miller! You know, like, my old sorority sister Kate Miller? Well, I haven't seen her in ages, so we're going to catch up over lunch at Le Chef, then after that, we're getting mani-pedis. You're not mad that I'm cancelling our lunch date, right? I promise I'll make it up to you tonight. Love you!"_

And with that, Edward released a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you, God," he praised out loud at the same time his stomach growled.

_Might as well get some lunch, _he thought. He was about a minute into contemplating his lunch options when the car in front of him finally moved forward, ending the traffic jam that seemed to have lasted for eternity.

Edward decided that he'd go with Mario's where his date with Rose was supposed to be. He was craving their steak and prawns something bad; his mouth was practically watering at the thought.

He reached the bistro in no time, but was having a difficult time finding a parking space. _Looks like I'm not the only one who came up with the brilliant idea of eating here, _he thought wryly as his Aston Martin circled the parking lot for the second time. He finally found an available space, but then something else caught his attention.

_Is that Rose's car?_

Edward blinked and looked closer. The vehicle looked exactly like his fiancée's red Porsche Cayman, even down to the customized plates.

"I thought she was meeting Kate at Le Chef," he murmured. Quickly pulling into the empty parking spot, he stepped out of his car and brisk walked to the restaurant.

The first thing he did once he entered the posh lobby was to scan the dining area for Rosalie. Sure enough, he spotted her blonde head amidst the other diners. It looked like she decided to spend time with Kate at Mario's, too.

Edward was about to walk towards her, but stopped when he realized who she was with.

It wasn't Kate Miller, long lost sorority sister, but Jacob Black, his best friend and business partner.

The two of them looked cosy together; if he hadn't known any better, Edward would have assumed that they were a couple very much in love. As he remained frozen in his place, Jacob kissed Rosalie square on the lips, and she giggled happily in response.

At that moment, only one thought came to Edward's mind.

_She's cheating on me._

He bolted out of there like the flames of Hell were right at his heels. His mind was still struggling to process everything, but he knew he had to leave.

With tires screeching, Edward drove away from Mario's in a speed way above the limit. He didn't care, though. In fact, the adrenaline rush it was giving him was…amazing. He stepped on the gas pedal harder as he zoomed through the streets, leaving Chicago in his dust.

"How can she do this to me?" he asked angrily to no one. "She's my fucking _fiancée!_ And with my best friend?! That bi – "

Edward's rant was cut off as a man crossing the street was suddenly in front of him. Panicked, he turned a hard left and collided with another car.

Or at least, he thought it was another car. All he could see was a blur of colours that slowly faded into darkness.

…

When Edward woke up, he was lying on the street. Nothing hurt though, and after feeling his head for bumps, he didn't feel any. His arms didn't even have any bruises.

Slowly, he stood up and took in his surroundings. There appeared to have been an accident on the street he was on – his shiny silver Aston Martin had crashed into a black SUV. Police cars fenced the area while some officers tried to keep curious civilians at bay. EMT's and an ambulance were there as well.

Edward felt a rush of guilt. It was his fault the SUV's passengers were dragged into the accident, and yet there he was, perfectly healthy and without a single scratch.

He watched silently as two EMT's carried the other vehicle's driver on a stretcher. The man looked badly hurt and appeared to be unconscious.

"Wow, Cullen, you are one lucky son of a bitch," he huffed a short, humourless chuckle. "The one time you get into a driving accident and nothing happens to you."

Or so he thought.

As he turned his attention back to the scene, he noticed two more EMT's approaching the wreckage. At first, he supposed it was because the SUV had more passengers, but when it was his car they approached, he knew that wasn't the case.

Edward's eyes widened as he saw his body carried out of the mangled Aston Martin. His head was bleeding profusely, and his eyes were closed as the EMT's hurriedly transferred his body onto a stretcher and eventually, brought to the ambulance.

"What the hell happened?!" he fisted his hair in confusion. "That can't be me! I'm right here!"

"Actually, that _is _you. Or, your body, anyway."

Edward spun around at the voice. What he saw was a petite girl with spiky black hair and the most ridiculous outfit he'd ever seen.

_Seriously, who wears gold tights with a pink tutu?_

"Like you haven't seen women in eccentric clothing before," the girl scoffed as she came closer.

"Who are you?" Edward asked warily.

"You can call me Scheduler," the girl grinned. "And I'm here to help you."

"Help me? Help me with what? Figuring out what the fuck just happened?"

"Among other things," she replied as she took his wrist. "First thing's first, though. We have to get to the hospital."

"What – " Before Edward could say anything more, he suddenly found himself in the middle of the emergency room. An operation was taking place, and he could do nothing else but watch in horror and confusion as multiple doctors worked on the body lying on the operating table – _his _body.

"What's happening here?" he whispered. "How am I…how is that me?"

"It's pretty straightforward," Scheduler answered. "You got into an accident, and…well, your body and your soul got separated."

"Separated?!" Edward yelled before glancing at the other people in the room. When no one looked his way, he continued in a quieter tone. "How is that even – I mean, does that mean I'm…I'm…"

"Dead?"

Edward nodded.

"Not really. And you can relax, they can't hear or see us," Scheduler said as she sat on a nearby counter.

"What do you mean 'not really'?"

"I mean, if you were dead, then you can't go back to your body. But since you still can – "

"Wait, wait. I can go back? That's great! So, what do I do? Do I just jump back into it or – "

"Alright, hold your horses," Scheduler laid a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you _can _go back, but not now."

Edward groaned and pulled his hair. "Let me guess – this is the part where you tell me I have to complete some sort of mission first before that can happen."

Scheduler laughed. "Right you are, mister. And they say TV and movies can't teach you anything, huh?"

"Heh, yeah. Hardy-har-har," he rolled his eyes. "What's my 'mission' then?"

"It's pretty simple. All you have to do is gather three tears of pure love cried for you within fifty days, and _voila!_ You'll be back in your body perfectly alive."

"And if I don't?"

"Then it's fifty days till heaven, buddy."

Edward groaned again, and buried his face in his hands.

Yes indeed, he was having a bad day.


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't understand," Edward said as he kicked a pebble off the sidewalk. After seeing his body come through surgery and remain unconscious afterwards, he and Scheduler left the hospital and were now walking to God knows where.

His tiny companion continued skipping beside him as she answered. "Don't understand what? Do I have to explain the whole you're-not-really-dead thing again?"

"No, no, I get _that_," Edward told her. "What I don't get is how I'm supposed to collect the tears. I'm a _soul _for heaven's sake! You said it yourself – no one can see or hear me."

As if to prove his point, a skateboarding kid flew right through him.

"Of course you can't do it as a _soul, _silly goose," Scheduler giggled. "That's what you'll need your host for!"

"My what?"

"Your host!" she said excitedly, grabbing his wrist again. "Come on, we're almost there."

Edward had no choice but to let her pull him to wherever. For someone who was freakishly small, she had a lot of strength.

"Where are you taking me?" he demanded as they ran past shops and people. It was dark out, probably around ten PM, and it appeared that a lot of people had made plans to go out.

_Well, it _is _a Friday, _Edward figured.

"Here," Scheduler finally stopped moving a minute later. They were in front of a diner that looked like it hadn't been repainted in ages.

"Mel's Diner," Edward read the glowing neon sign. "Wait a minute. I know this place. This is at least two miles from the hospital." He turned to the giddy girl at his side. "How did we get here so fast?"

She replied with a grin. "Super speed is just one of the many perks of the afterlife, my friend. Now, pay attention or else you'll miss him!"

"Miss who?" Edward was beginning to feel frustrated with all the questions he had to ask.

"Him," Scheduler pointed a small finger to the parking lot. The bright lights of the diner allowed Edward to see exactly who she was referring to, but he still wasn't sure.

"Him?" Edward clarified as he looked at the man who brisk walked towards them. He was tall, probably around Edward's height, and had a lanky built. His shaggy blond hair kept getting in his blue eyes' line of vision, so his hand constantly worked to keep them away.

"Yeah, that's definitely him," Scheduler nodded. She followed the blond man as he entered the diner, Edward not far behind her.

"Jasper, there you are!" an elderly waitress – Shelly, her nametag said – exclaimed once the door opened. "I was beginning to worry, honey. You're almost an hour late."

"I know, I know," Jasper huffed as he removed his jacket. "Is Mel mad?"

Shelly scoffed. "Of course not. Anyway, it's not like we're in the middle of a bustling dinner service here. It's midnight after all."

"Good point," Jasper smiled as he donned an apron. "So, what needs to get done around here?"

For the next few hours, Edward and Scheduler silently hung around the diner and watched Jasper work as a dishwasher-slash-busboy-slash-janitor. At around three AM, his shift ended, and after a quick goodbye to Shelly, Jasper walked out the door.

"Who is he?" Edward asked as he trailed behind the blond man. "What does he have to do with me?"

"His name is Jasper Whitlock," Scheduler said. "And he has a lot to do with you, actually. In fact, for the next couple of weeks, he _is _you, for all intents and purposes."

Edward pondered upon her words as Jasper led them to a crappy apartment building. As the latter entered his flat, the former finally understood.

"So, you mean that I'm going to be…that's the body that I'm…he's my…"

"Your host body, yes."

"You make it sound like I'm some sort of parasite."

"In a way, you're kinda gonna have to be. But your relationship doesn't have to be _that _parasitic."

Scheduler and Edward settled with standing by the small living room as Jasper went about his usual night time routine.

"Why him?"

"I…I honestly don't know," Scheduler admitted. "But it doesn't matter. What's important now is that you know who your host is. Let's get down to the rules then, shall we?"

Edward collapsed on the small sofa behind him. Of course there had to be rules.

"First and most important: trea – "

"Ow! Dammit!"

The two turned to see Jasper stomping out of the bathroom with a towel held to his jaw. When he pulled away, three razor cuts became very obvious.

"He cut himself shaving?" Edward couldn't keep the amusement – and incredulity, really – out of his voice. The last time something like that happened to him was when he was fifteen and first started growing facial hair.

"It would seem so, yeah," Scheduler agreed before getting right back to business. "As I was saying, though, the first and most important rule is to treat your host well."

"Yeah, I'll make sure he doesn't get any more nicks from shaving,"

"Seriously," she stomped her foot. "No abusing his body, no forgetting to eat, no doing stupid shit. Treat him like you would your own."

"Uh, isn't his body _already _my own? Y'know, since I'm a parasite now and all that?"

Edward had the decency to look the slightest bit ashamed at Scheduler's annoyed glare.

"Okay, okay, I'll…be good to him."

"Good," Scheduler nodded smartly. "Next up, you can only possess his body when he's still asleep and after he's had at least three hours of sleep. Oh, and you can only stay until ten PM."

"I have a curfew?" Edward interrupted with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Yuk it up, Edward, but it's not going to be me who'll have to face the consequences when you don't leave his body on time."

Edward held his hands up in surrender and urged the girl to continue.

"Okay, last – and probably most obvious – rule: you're not allowed to tell anyone about who you really are. As far as everyone is concerned, you are Jasper Whitlock. If you tell anyone that you're Edward Cullen, the deal's off, and you'll never return to your body."

"Okay. Everything sounds simple enough,"

"Good, good. Now," Scheduler's grin widened. "The sun will be up in about a few hours. What do you say to a little possessing?"

…

"Just do it!"

"I can't!"

"What do you mean, you 'can't'?"

"I mean, I don't know how! And your instructions aren't all that great either. 'Oh Edward, you adorable petunia, just scoot your cute little behind until you're going right through him!'" Edward ended his impersonation with a rising falsetto.

Scheduler was not impressed.

"First of all, I _so _do not sound like that," she told him, hands on her hips. "Second, will you stop acting so immature for a second? Your life is literally at stake here! And third, why on God's green Earth would I call you an 'adorable petunia?!"

"Well, I am pretty adorable," Edward smiled, but instantly sobered. "Okay, fine, I'll be more serious. I just don't see what you're trying to tell me. Do I try to…hug him or something?"

"Yeah, just…lie down on top of him and try to copy his position,"

Edward pulled at his hair and nodded. It was seven o'clock; thirty minutes more and the alarm Jasper had set earlier would go off. With one last mental prod, he did as Scheduler instructed, holding his breath as Jasper went through his form.

Possessing someone was a very strange experience. Edward felt like he weighed a ton as he made sure his legs and arms aligned with Jasper's, and his eyes were practically forced shut.

When he managed to open them, the feeling grew stranger, and yet more normal at the same time.

Carefully, Edward sat up on the mattress before swinging his legs over and standing.

"So?" Scheduler asked excitedly. Edward had almost forgotten she was there.

"It's so…weird," he said as he inspected his new arms. "I mean, I feel…normal, but not normal at the same time. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense," Scheduler agreed, stepping aside as Edward took a tentative step forward.

He slowly moved until he was in front of a small mirror. Though he knew what Jasper looked like, what he saw still shocked him.

Instead of looking into a pair of green eyes, icy blue ones stared back at him, and his coppery brown hair had turned long and blond.

"Holy crap," he muttered as he played with his hair. It flopped back down on his forehead instead of sticking up. "I really possessed him!"

Scheduler laughed from behind him. "That you did. Now, you remember the rules we went over earlier, right?" 

"Yeah."

"And you promise you won't do anything too stupid?"

"Yes, Sched, I'll be smarter about any stupid decisions I'll undoubtedly make in the future."

"Awesome! I'll see you soon, then."

That made Edward turn around.

"Wait, you're not staying?"

Scheduler shook her head. "Nope. I'll check in on you every once in a while, but I won't go hoverer on you twenty-four-seven."

"Thank God for that. I think it would be best if I deal with you in small, controlled doses," Edward joked, earning him a pinch on the cheek.

"Oh, please. I know you'll miss me," Scheduler patted the red spot she left on his skin. "Oh! I almost forgot." She dug into her pocket and produced a leather cuff with a silver crest.

"What is it?" Edward asked as he took the item from her.

"I guess you can call this your 'tear watcher.' If anyone cries a tear of pure love for you, one of these clovers will be occupied by a crystal," Scheduler explained, running a tiny finger over the clover-shaped recesses. "Once all three have been covered, your job is done."

Edward nodded as he observed the patterns of the crest. It seemed oddly familiar to him…

"This crest…isn't this – this is my family's crest," he realized. "The lion, the hand, the three clovers…this is the Cullen symbol."

"It is," Scheduler said. "Consider it as additional motivation to get those three tears."

"As if I need any more," Edward muttered as his finger traced the embossed patterns. "So, I just wear this all day and hope the clovers get filled?"

When no one answered, he looked up to see that he was alone.

Scheduler had left.

"Great," Edward sighed. He strapped on the cuff and turned back to the mirror behind him.

It was time to begin day one as Jasper Whitlock.

_49 Days to Go._


	3. Chapter 3

Most of Edward's morning was spent exploring Jasper's small apartment. And in Edward's opinion, it really was small; the entire space could fit into his bedroom back at his place.

Lack of elbow room aside, everything seemed to be alright. The miniscule kitchen and bathroom were clean, and though the building was crappy, the window in the sitting room was a great place for people watching.

"Maybe I can actually make this work," Edward nodded as he looked around.

Once he was familiar with the location of basic necessities, Edward set about digging for more information about Jasper Whitlock.

_This doesn't really count as invasion of privacy, _he reasoned in his head as he rummaged through the desk that was shoved against a corner. _I have to know my host, don't I?_

Much to his relief, Edward didn't find any incriminating evidence of Jasper being some kind of criminal or weirdo, unless of course you count a surprisingly large collection of country music. The documents scattered on the surface were mostly unpaid bills and delinquent notices, but a particular piece of paper called Edward's attention.

After reading it and glancing at the clock, he let out a loud "Shit!" and rushed to get out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, he was finally just a few steps away from his destination, but needed to rest.

"That's it," Edward panted as he leaned against a low brick wall. "Jasper, when all of this is over, I am definitely buying you a car." He pushed his long hair off his face. "And I'm getting you a haircut, too."

The car and the haircut had to wait, however, since he had a job interview in about ten minutes. At first, Edward didn't really understand why Jasper needed another job on top of the one he had at the diner, but after remembering the unpaid bills he found and his less than stellar living arrangements, he understood.

_Not everyone can be privileged rich boys like you_.

After calming down some more and fixing his appearance as much as he could, Edward walked towards the establishment that would hopefully be his – and Jasper's – second source of income.

Heaven Café looked petite from the outside, but was actually quite roomy in the inside. The aroma of brewed coffee and baked goods filled the space, almost making Edward groan in want and appreciation.

_If this is where I'm going to be working in the next weeks, I don't know how I'm going to resist eating anything, _he thought as he watched a tray of cakes being carried to a table. He also hoped that Jasper didn't have any allergies; it would suck if his sweet tooth would result to some horrible allergic reaction.

"Hi! Welcome to Heaven. Can I help you?"

Edward pulled himself out of his cake-induced trance, and glanced at the waifish girl in front of him.

"Uh, yes. I'm Ed – Jasper Whitlock. I'm here for a job interview."

"Oh! You're meeting James. Right this way, then. I'm Jane, by the way," the girl smiled as she led him towards an office. The man sitting at the desk looked up from his laptop as they entered.

"Hey, Boss," Jane greeted. "Someone's here for a job interview."

"Thank you, Jane," the man nodded, and Jane left after a quick 'good luck!'

The man who was in front of Edward looked every bit the typical, uptight corporate businessman he encounters on a daily basis. From the tailored suit to the well-styled hair, practically everything about the older gentleman screamed 'professional,' but Edward was well-prepared.

After all, he didn't become a partner at his father's architecture firm before his twenty-fifth birthday for no reason. Well, there was _some _nepotism involved there admittedly, but that was beside the point. Edward was good at what he did and he knew how to act professional despite his tendencies to be a bit immature outside the office.

He was about to step forward with a good mannered handshake when James grunted and pulled at the collar of his shirt.

"I hate suits," he muttered as he all but took off his tie. "This is honestly the worst part of being a lawyer. I'll take clients who insist on suing for anything and everything over having to wear this monkey suit all day."

Edward wasn't sure how to respond to that.

As if suddenly remembering Edward's presence, James stopped his fidgeting and stood with a chuckle. "I'm sorry, son, but this suit has been bothering me all day. Please, have a seat." He gestured to a plush chair by the desk.

"So, Mr…?"

"Whitlock…sir. Jasper Whitlock."

"Mr. Whitlock," James nodded. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm here for the job opening, sir."

James raised an eyebrow as he looked over the young man across his desk.

"I have to say, you look impeccably dressed for someone who just wants to apply for the server position."

Edward could feel his ears redden. To be perfectly honest, he didn't bother reading what position Jasper actually applied for; he pretty much just bolted as soon as he saw the words 'job interview.'

"I…ah…I just wanted to…show that I intend to take my job very seriously, Mr. James."

And with that, James burst into a fit of laughter.

_Can this get any worse? _Edward felt a strong urge to bury himself under a pile of dirt.

"I'm sorry," James wiped his eyes. "But that has got to be the funniest thing I've heard all morning! I appreciate your professionalism, son, but there isn't a need for anything of that sort here."

Despite the reassurance, Edward's ears were still red.

_Why did I have to get the host with overactive blood vessels? Why didn't I get paired up with the stoic badass instead?!_

"Jeans and shirts are perfectly fine here; just make sure you wear an apron. I swear, some people have issues when their servers don't have them. I mean, what's the difference, really? Anyway, you can ask Charlotte where we keep 'em 'cause I have no – "

"Wait," Edward interrupted. "You mean, I'm hired?"

James blinked. "Of course! Why? Didn't I mention it?"

Edward shook his head.

"Huh. I was so sure I did," the older man pondered on that for a moment then shrugged. "Oh well. Important thing is you got the job, right son?"

"Right," Edward finally felt relaxed enough to laugh. "Thank you so much, Mr. James."

"Oh, hey, that reminds me of another rule we have: don't call me sir and don't address me with mister," James pointed a finger in mock scold. "You just call me Peter. Or if you prefer last names, James. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure everyone calls me Butter behind my back – remind me to tell you the story behind that – so I guess you can call me that, too, but not to my face, alright?"

"Okay, Mr…uh, I mean, Peter."

"Excellent!" Peter clapped his hands. "Now, I'd orient you about how things work here, but I'm no expert on that. I may own the place, but I just do the taxes and pay the bills, really," He chuckled. "So why don't you scurry on out and look for Charlotte? Can't miss her – flaming red hair, expanding waist line –don't tell her I said that – and she's probably by the register."

After thanking Peter again, Edward left the office where he just had the most bizarre job interview of his life. He liked how his boss was completely at ease and casual, though. He thought of the rigidity of the architecture firm and wished their rules were less strict.

_Maybe I can make some changes when I get back to my own body, _he thought. _I'll inherit and run the place one day, anyway._

The café was busier than when Edward entered, but true to Peter's word, Charlotte wasn't difficult to spot. The plump woman was chatting on her phone by the cash register, but said goodbye when she saw Edward approach.

"How can I help you, sugar?" she asked with a warm smile.

"My name's Jasper Whitlock, ma'am," Edward answered. "I'm…your newly hired server. Peter sent me over here to – "

"That's right! We did need a new server, didn't we?" Charlotte let out a loud laugh. "Well, don't be shy, sugar. Come on over here at the back, and I'll show you the ropes."

Edward was just about to lift the counter when the door that led to the kitchen opened, and a petite brunette woman stepped out with a plateful of cakes.

Edward stopped what he was doing the moment he saw her face. She was very familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen her before.

Until she began to speak.

"Aunt Charlotte," she called. "What do you think of these? I was thinking I'd do something different with the strawberries instead of…"

_That voice…_

And then it hit him.

_Brown hair, brown eyes, soft voice…it's Bella Swan._

"…Jasper?"

"Huh?" Edward turned to both women at the sound of his new name.

"I said, did you know Bella?"

"Uh…what makes you think so?"

"Well, you did say her name," Charlotte looked very amused.

"Oh…uh…yeah, I – I think," Edward stuttered. _Come on, Cullen. Think fast! _"I…we went to high school together, right?"

Well, that wasn't a total lie. Edward really did go to the same high school as Bella. They were close friends, even, but after graduation, drifted apart. He began to think about why and how that happened, but now wasn't the time for that.

_Shit, what high school did Jasper go to?_

Edward grew up in a small town called Forks; what were the odds that Jasper did, too?

"Jasper…Jasper Whitlock?" Bella's eyes looked over him curiously. "You were president of the photography club, right?"

The odds were very high, apparently.

"Right. The photography club," Edward laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "And you were our senior prom queen."

Bella smiled shyly and looked down. Edward couldn't help but grin as well. She had always blushed when he'd teased her about her surprise win before; it looked like some things never changed.

"This is great!" Charlotte crowed. Edward almost jumped; he had forgotten there were other people present besides him and Bella. "Bella, why don't you show Jasper how we roll around here? I'm sure he'll feel much better if he's with someone he knows instead of this old hag."

Bella blinked quickly as if she had just woken from a trance herself. "Jasper's going to be working here?"

"Yep. You know how tired Janey is from doing both her shift and Tanya's after she quit, so your Uncle Peter decided to get a new waiter to ease her burden."

"Oh."

"Sooooo, whaddaya say?"

"But what about the cakes? Mrs. Newton – "

"You just leave me to deal with that demanding cow," Charlotte waved a hand and took the plate of cakes from Bella's hands. "Go ahead and catch up with your old friend. You spend so much time cooped up in that kitchen that I wonder if you get any human interaction aside from with me and your uncle."

"Alright," Bella replied softly. She looked into Edward's eyes and smiled. "Come on, Jasper."

The way she looked at him made Edward feel something peculiar. He didn't know if the tingling he felt was good or bad, but he didn't deny that he was happy to follow her over to the other side of the long counter.

"So, where do we start, boss?" Edward asked as he watched Bella dig for something below the marble counter top. It was all he could do to distract himself from staring at her hips and ass.

"Well," Bella huffed as she finally emerged with a large board. "I figured we can start with understanding the layout of the dining area first, then just go from there."

"Sounds good."

"Let's get to it, then."

…

Edward had forgotten how much fun he could have until he spent the afternoon with Bella. She had always been a shy girl, but just like in high school, she was a different person with him. Once he managed to break her shell a bit more, she started making her own jokes, laughing at his, and blushing at his innuendos.

Edward was enjoying every second of it.

When their time came to an end, Edward honestly didn't want to leave her. Now that he was reminded of how amazing it was to be friends with Bella, he wanted to spend more time with her. Reality eventually made itself known once again, however, in the form of Charlotte James.

"You two look like you're having fun," the woman's grin was ear to ear as she stopped by the table Edward and Bella were sitting at.

"As much fun as I can have trying to teach Jasper the menu," Bella glanced at Edward with a smile.

"Trying? I'm succeeding, aren't I?" Edward asked teasingly. "I've already memorized every single pasta and crepe dish you have."

"Ah, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, young Padawan," Bella pointed to a longer list. "We still have cakes to cover, and that makes up more than half of what we serve."

"I'm sure my memory can handle it."

"Unfortunately, tackling those cakes would have to wait," Charlotte interrupted their bantering. "Bella, your mother's on the phone."

The life that filled Bella's cheeks drained in an instant. Her smile disappeared and was replaced by a mask of indifference.

"What does she want?" 

"I don't know. She just said she wanted to talk to you."

Edward watched as Bella warred with herself. It was obvious that a part of her didn't want to answer the call, but another did. In the end, the latter won. With a murmured "excuse me," she stood and walked away.

Edward's eyes followed Bella until she disappeared into the back office, resisting the urge to get up and follow her. He turned to Charlotte in an effort to keep himself from doing just that.

"Is everything okay?"

Charlotte didn't respond immediately, but when she did, her voice was quiet.

"It's not really my place to say anything, but don't worry, she'll be alright." She smiled slightly. "Well, I guess you're free to go for today, Jasper. Did Bella tell you your schedule?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it earlier." Edward was set to cover the schedule of the employee whom he was hired to replace, so he had to work from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon from Sundays till Fridays.

"That's good," Charlotte said. "We'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Edward didn't say anything. He simply nodded before leaving the café, disappointed that he didn't get to spend more time with his rediscovered friend, but hopeful that he would have the chance to do so tomorrow.

…

Though calls from her mother were very few and far apart, Bella always felt worn out after them. It wasn't that she hated her mother; she just…didn't understand her. Bella had long accepted that Renee just wasn't cut out for motherhood, but she still couldn't help but feel bitter towards her for leaving when Bella was just eight.

The bitterness had gotten worse since her father Charlie passed away about a month ago after a long battle with cancer.

Bella rested her head on her uncle's desk and tried not to dwell. Today was the first day she actually felt happiness again, and she wasn't going to let anything vapid like her mother ruin it. She, instead, focused on the latest person to enter her life: her old schoolmate Jasper Whitlock.

They weren't really friends in high school, but Bella always had the impression that Jasper was more of the anti-social, contemplating type. The only time she'd really seen him interact with people was when he would ask the teacher a question or when he would hold meetings with the photography club.

Today had only proven that impressions could be deceiving since Jasper turned out to be a very sociable person. He was constantly making her laugh and finding new ways to distract her from showing him around. Bella couldn't be annoyed at him, though. For once, she was having fun again.

His antics and charming smile made her feel like she had something missing in her life that she didn't realize until now. It was probably because he reminded her so much of the only man she had ever loved, and the only man who managed to break her heart.

Bella shied away from the feelings of hurt that began to bubble inside her.

She really didn't want to open the can of worms that was Edward Cullen again.


	4. Chapter 4

The last forty-eight hours were the worst that Esme Cullen had ever experienced. When she received a call from the hospital, she didn't expect to hear the words 'your son' and 'car accident' said in the same sentence. Even now as she sat with her unconscious son, she still couldn't quite grasp what had happened.

"This is horrible," Rosalie cried beside her. "Oh, Esme, I feel so guilty!"

"Shh, it wasn't your fault, honey," Esme comforted her future daughter-in-law. "It wasn't anyone's fault."

"But," Rose sniffled. " If – if I hadn't cancelled our lunch date…"

"We can't worry about the what-ifs and should-haves. We can only be thankful that he made it out alive and hope that he'll recover."

As she spoke, Esme reached out and grabbed her son's limp hand. Despite the bandage that covered his forehead and all the wires and tubes attached to him, Edward looked peaceful in his slumber. Esme fervently prayed that he was.

The door opened and Esme's husband Carlisle entered with a bag of take-out. He looked as haggard as she felt; though his suit was still pressed and his hair styled, his skin was pale and the bags under his eyes gave away how tired he was.

"How's Edward doing?" he greeted after Esme stood to kiss him on the cheek.

"Still fine and stable." Esme replied.

"And for now, that's all we can ask for."

Carlisle set the bag on a nearby table as he loosened his tie. "I hope Italian's okay. I was in a hurry to get here and Luigi's was close."

"Italian's perfectly fine, dear," Esme assured him as she helped unload the food. "Frankly, I could eat anything right now and it wouldn't make a difference to me."

Carlisle gave his wife a sad smile as he felt a yawn about to make itself known. He tried to stifle it, but it didn't escape Esme's eyes.

"Maybe you should head home," she suggested softly. "I know you haven't had any sleep since yesterday, and you even went to work today. Go get some rest."

"I'm fine," Carlisle insisted. "I just need a nap and I'll be good as new."

"A nap isn't going to be enough, honey. You need a warm bath and at least eight solid hours of sleep. Edward wouldn't want you to be forgetting your health this."

Carlisle sighed. "I – it just feels wrong to leave him alone like this."

"He won't be alone, Carlisle," Rosalie said as she approached her future in-law's. "I just received a text from Jacob. He said he's on his way over, so you can go home and rest. You too, Esme."

"Are you sure?"

Rose nodded. "I don't mind staying with Edward all night, and I'll have Jacob for company when he arrives."

Carlisle couldn't help the feeling of relief that filled him. "I suppose a few hours of sleep wouldn't hurt. Thank you, Rose. Now, how about some dinner?"

…

Edward almost walked back to his own apartment after leaving Heaven. He didn't mean to do it – it was just an unconscious routine his brain decided to follow since his thoughts were occupied by something – or someone – else.

Ever since he left the café, Bella Swan was all Edward could really focus on, specifically, on what happened to them. He had learned earlier that their friendship was a blessing, so how could he have let it go?

Maybe it was just his seventeen-year-old self being a blind asshole.

_Yeah, that sounds like an accurate explanation, _he thought with a sardonic smile.

The high-pitched blare of a car horn woke Edward from his internal musings, and it was only then when he realized the familiar street he was walking on, and whose body he was currently using.

"Shit," he muttered. "I really need to think less Edward and more Jasper." He turned around and began walking to Jasper's home.

Another thing Edward apparently didn't realize that evening was just how far his condo was from the apartment Jasper was renting. Within half an hour, he was a tired, sweaty mess who wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed.

And when he reached his destination, that's exactly what he did.

"God," he groaned as he rested his head on a pillow. His leg muscles were aching so much that even moving them the slightest bit was painful.

Not that he had any plans on moving. After lying there for a few minutes, Edward could feel sleep invading his body, and without a thought of protest, he let it.

Almost as soon as his eyelids dropped, though, he felt awake again. Confused at the sudden shift, he sat up and saw Jasper's upper body passed out below him.

"Guess I should let you sleep," Edward muttered as he stood and took up residence on a chair, leaving Jasper on the bed. "What am I supposed to do now, though?"

"You can visit the hospital if you want."

"Jeez!" Edward jumped as Scheduler appeared out of thin air. "You gotta give a guy some warning if you're gonna show up, man."

"Sorry," Scheduler shrugged unapologetically.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't check-in on my favourite charge?"

"I'm your only charge."

"Uh, no you're not."

Edward's eyebrows rose. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Scheduler looked over him. When she saw how incredulous he looked, she rolled her eyes. "What? I have other jobs, too, you know. You just happen to be my favourite 'cause you're the most entertaining."

Edward ignored the jab. "Other jobs. Like what?"

"Oh, you know. The usual, I guess. Making deliveries for the Big Boss, taking care of some afterlife business…that kind of stuff."

"Is there anyone else going through the same…uh, _journey _as me?"

Scheduler grinned. "That's confidential, Cullen."

"That figures," Edward sighed. "So, what were you saying about the hospital?"

"You can go," she reiterated. "I hear you have some visitors over there."

That caught Edward's attention. He was so caught up with everything that happened that he forgot his body was still very much in the physical world.

"My parents must be freaking out," he said, tugging at his hair. "My mom…God, she must be so worried. And, and Rose…" he trailed off. Images of her making out with Jacob assaulted his mind, but he shook them off.

"How are they doing?" he asked. "Are they okay?"

"You can see for yourself," Scheduler said. "You don't have to worry about Jasper – he isn't going anywhere after the Chicago trekking adventure you took him on today. And besides, he'll need his rest for his shift at the diner tonight. You know, you really should be more present-minded when you're with him. Poor Jasper's going to hurt worse all over tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Edward apologized hastily. "Can we go to the hospital now?"

"You don't need me to do that, silly."

"But you can do it quicker!"

"You have super speed, too, you know," Scheduler pointed out just as the necklace she wore began to glow and vibrate. "Woops, gotta go. The Boss needs me to make a delivery,"

"But – "

"Good luck, Edward! If you ever need me, just call me, 'kay?"

"Sched – "

And then she was gone.

"Great," Edward threw his hands up in frustration. What was he supposed to do – just start running?

Actually, when he came to think of it, that seemed like the logical way to test his super speed.

In about ten seconds, Edward made it to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and after two more, he was standing in the private room where his body rested. No one else was there, though, which both disappointed and relieved him.

Still, he couldn't deny that his mother and father had been there. Esme's knitting needles and basket of yarn were placed near the sofa, and Carlisle's reading glasses were on the bedside table. Unfortunately, Rosalie's red purse was there, too.

"What is she even doing here?" Edward asked loudly. It wasn't like anyone could hear him, anyway. "She obviously doesn't care."

The sound of a door opening interrupted his ranting as Rose exited the en-suite bathroom. It was obvious that she had been crying – her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks were flushed – but Edward knew she cried nothing but crocodile tears.

His still crystal-less cuff was a testament to that.

He leaned against the small dining table in the room as he watched Rose tinker with her phone. Edward bitterly thought that she was texting Jacob, but then the latter entered the room.

"Hey," Jacob greeted. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Rose said as she approached him. "How was work?"

"It was work," Jacob shrugged. "Did Carlisle and Esme leave?"

"You just missed them, actually."

"Good. That means I don't have to stop myself from doing this."

Jacob launched himself on Rosalie and all but sucked her lips off. Edward cringed as he watched the disturbing scene play out in front of him.

"Really? You're doing…_that _while I'm in the room?" he asked angrily. He scowled at his lifeless body as if he could will it to do something, _anything, _to stop the cheating bastards from eating each other's faces.

"You're lucky I can't scare the living shit out of the two of you," he muttered, his tone and glare acrimonious. If he was going to be a ghost, he could have at least adapted some of the awesome powers they had. Well, he could possess, but his host was really the only person he could do that to, so it didn't count.

After what seemed like forever, Jacob and Rosalie finally came up for air.

"I forgot to ask," Rosalie spoke as she gasped for air. "Are things for the plan moving smoothly?"

"Mm, I forgot you didn't come to work today," Jacob stole a brief kiss. "But to answer your question, yes, everything's falling into place."

"Good," Rose's smile was devious. "If everything goes accordingly, it would only be a matter of time before we finally gain control of Cullen Architecture."

_Gain control of _what _now?!_


	5. Chapter 5

Ever since his visit to the hospital, Edward has been in a very sour mood. But really, after the news he uncovered, who could blame him? It was one thing to discover that your fiancée was cheating on you with your best friend, but another to know that said fiancée and best friend were also planning on taking over your family's company.

Edward had to hand it to them, though; their plan was pretty good. With Edward out of commission, the work he and Jacob used to split would be put solely on Jacob now. Eventually, he'll be promoted, and if Edward dies, the company would most likely be handed to him. Jacob would then marry Rosalie, and the conniving assholes would live happily ever after while his family would be left with nothing.

On the other hand, if that plan failed, Rosalie could make use of her status as Edward's fiancée. Since she was going to be a future Cullen anyway, there was a possibility that Carlisle would let her have control of the firm – after all, if Edward wakes up and inherits Cullen Architecture in the future, then it would be just as much as Rosalie's as it is his.

Still, despite how well-thought-of everything was, Edward wasn't going to stand by and do nothing. If anything, he was very determined to expose the two traitors. He just had to figure out how.

"Hey. You alright there, sugar?"

Edward almost jumped as he felt Charlotte's hand on his shoulder.

_Presence of mind, Cullen. You're still working in Heaven. Now isn't the time for making take-down plans._

"I'm fine, Charlotte," Edward tried to smile at him reassuringly.

"You sure?" Charlotte asked. "You've been mopping the same spot for about ten minutes now."

"Oh," Edward glanced at the floor. "Sorry. Didn't notice."

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind," the woman observed. "Anything you wanna share with the class? I'm a good listener, y'know, and I give out great advice."

"Er, thanks, but it's okay. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Okay," Charlotte's tone was reluctant. "Maybe you should take five minutes off. It's a slow hour, and Jane can take the two customers who're in here."

Edward nodded thankfully. He had honestly forgotten how tired he had left Jasper last night, so the aches and pains he experienced upon possessing his body were a bit of a surprise to him. Still, he got up and made his way to his first official day at Heaven Café.

He had wondered how Jasper did at the diner last night, but his host's body didn't seem to have moved at all from how he left him. Even his clothes were still the old polo and slacks Edward had worn for the interview.

That could only mean that Jasper missed work…and that Edward was going to have another nagging session as soon as Scheduler finds out.

Thoughts on the tiny drill sergeant disappeared as soon as Bella emerged from the kitchen. She pushed a cart through the doors, and began to unload the cakes it carried into the display by the front.

Edward was up and moving towards her before he even realized what he was doing.

"Hi," he smiled when he was close enough. "You need any help?"

Bella looked up at him from her crouched position and smiled back. "Sure. Can you hand them to me?" she gestured to the pastries.

"So, uh, are you okay?" Edward asked as he carefully passed a strawberry shortcake to her, partially to avoid ruining the pink and white creation, and partially to avoid moving his sore muscles too much. "From yesterday, I mean. You seemed kinda upset before I left."

When Bella didn't reply, Edward did a mental face palm.

_Of course she's not going to explain anything to you, idiot. You're just some kid she used to know in high school, not her best friend._

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Bella responded a moment later. "I'm sorry, Jasper, it's just…I'm not used to people actually asking me how I am. So…thanks for asking."

Edward beamed. "It's no problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

Bella turned to him and grinned back. "Right."

All awkwardness that might have been present before evaporated, and the two worked amicably. When a new customer entered, Edward was reluctant to leave her and actually do his job.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked after Bella told him to see to the patron. "I mean, Jane can probably take it."

"I'll be fine, Jasper," Bella said. "It's just the cupcakes that are left. That would take about five minutes, tops. Now, go do your job before Aunt Charlotte finds out you've been slacking."

"Alrighty, boss," Edward chuckled. He approached the newly occupied table with his pen and notepad at the ready.

"Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to Hea – "

Edward choked on his words as soon as he realized just who he was speaking to. It was no other than Jacob Black.

Edward could feel his face contorting to that of hatred and disgust. He managed to calm his facial muscles down, but not so much his hand; white knuckles still held his pen in a death grip.

Clearing his throat, his forced himself to gain composure and restart his practiced greeting.

"Sorry about that. Welcome to Heaven. What can I get you today?"

"A cappuccino sounds good," Jacob's dark eyes went over the menu again. "And the carbonara. I'll have a vegetarian Panini to-go as well."

Edward's mind went full-on bitter mode when he realized who the Panini was for; dating someone for nearly a decade would make you aware of that person's favourite foods. Still, he just nodded and concentrated on writing the order down.

"Would that be all, sir?"

"Yes, that's all."

Edward nodded again and all but stomped towards the cashier. Bella, already finished with unloading the cakes, was standing by the counter. She didn't miss Edward's angry stance as he brusquely entered the order.

"Is everything okay?" she asked warily.

"It's…yeah," Edward's reply was curt. He crossed his arms and glared at the back of Jacob's head.

Bella followed his stormy eyes until she caught on with the source of his sudden annoyance. She still didn't understand what the man did to him, though.

"Really?" she said. "Because from the way you're looking at him, one would think he caused you some great misery or something."

Edward didn't answer.

"Wait," Bella's tone became more serious. "Did he?"

Edward wrestled with the words that sat on his tongue. What was he supposed to say? _"Why yes, Bella, he is indeed the cause of my misery. That's Jacob Black – cheating, devious, evil mastermind-bastard-asshole extraordinaire. Would you mind if I beat him into a bloody pulp? I promise to clean up the mess."_

"He kinda brought back some unwanted memories," he muttered finally.

"Oh," Bella looked over at Jacob again. "Do you know him?"

"I…yeah. Sorta. We went to high school together."

"Huh. So that means I know him, too," Bella deduced. "Who is it?"

"Jacob Black."

"Jacob Black…as in, the kid who transferred from La Push our senior year?" Bella asked. "He was Ed – I mean, yeah. I remember him now."

Edward almost had whiplash from how fast his head snapped to face Bella.

_Holy shit. She remembers me?!_

Well, Bella didn't exactly finish, but it was obvious that she was about to say 'Edward' before she stopped herself. After all, what other kid whose name begins with 'Ed' went to Forks High and was all BFF's with La Push transferee Jacob Black?

"I didn't know you were friends with him," Bella continued, oblivious to Edward's shock. "Though I guess you weren't really friends if he reminded you of bad memories. Were you guys close at some point?"

_Were _Jasper and Jacob ever close? As far as Edward could remember, Jacob only ever hung out with him and Rosalie, and Jasper was pretty much under the radar in high school, so that would be a…

"No," Edward said. "We weren't close at all, but…it's complicated. Let's just say he's done some… scheming and deceitful things that I don't think I can for – "

"Isabella Swan, is that you?" 

Bella and Edward turned to see Jacob approaching the counter.

"Um, yeah," Bella smiled, but Edward noticed that it didn't touch her eyes.

"Well, I'll be damned. It's me – Jacob Black! You probably remember me as captain of the football team, student council vice presi– "

"Oh, right. Jacob," Bella interrupted the beginnings of his long, egotistic spiel. "Yeah, it's, um, been a long time since high school, but I still know who you are."

"Of course you do. But I must say, you aren't like the girl _I_ remember from high school. Time has been very good to you, my dear. Well, the both of us, really!" Jacob laughed.

Edward could feel a growl begin to build in his chest. He didn't like how Jacob just walked over and interrupted his and Bella's conversation, and he definitely wasn't happy about how he eyed Bella like she was a piece of meat.

_Back off, asshole._

"I beg your pardon?"

Jacob was looking at Edward with a raised eyebrow while Bella had a mixture of both panic and shock registered on her face.

_Crap. Did I say that out loud?_

_No shit, Sherlock. Quick, maybe you can still save your ass._

"I…uh, sorry. Was just clearing my throat," Edward prayed that his voice was too low for him to understand.

The universe was working with him, thankfully, for Jacob just shook his head. "Hm, well you better have that checked. I heard you cough when you took my order, and now isn't the time for me to be catching any diseases."

_Yeah, because you're so busy planning on taking over my family's company, right? _

"Jacob, do you recognize Jasper Whitlock?" Bella stepped in quickly as she placed a hand on Edward's back. "He went to Forks High, too,"

"Oh?" Jacob looked Edward up and down. "No, I can't say I do."

"He was president of the photography club,"

"The photography club? Well, that's…an achievement, I suppose." Jacob's smile was so condescending that Edward almost leapt across the counter and tackled his sorry ass to the ground. To keep calm, he focused on the warmth of Bella's hand through his shirt.

"And you're working as a waiter now?" Jacob continued with a chuckle. "Not all of us are destined for greatness, I suppose. Besides, _someone_ has to do it, right?"

Edward was so tempted then to strangle the man, and he was going to do it, if Bella hadn't stepped in once again.

"The service industry is no walk in the park, Jacob. It takes a lot of patience and a good temperament to make it here. In fact, servers may very well have a harder job than you have. They deserve as much respect as whatever corporate people you deal with, if not more, so if you're going to keep demeaning and disrespecting the servers working here, then I suggest you leave and never come back."

Both Edward and Jacob were slack-jawed – the former from awe and amazement, and the latter from surprised disappointment.

"Well," Jacob fixed his tie. "I apologize, then."

"Why are you apologizing to me? Jasper's the one you so passive-aggressively insulted."

"Right," Jacob looked like he would rather chew leather than to say the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "I'm…sorry, Jasper. I didn't mean to…belittle your profession."

It might have been a bit immature, but Edward didn't say anything back. Instead, he nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

Much to everyone's relief, the kitchen chose that moment to send out Jacob's order. Jacob quickly requested that everything be to-go, and after everything was put in containers, he was out the door.

"Wow," Edward remarked as he looked at his defender. "Thanks, Bella."

A blush spread across Bella's cheeks. "No problem.

"I didn't know our shy little prom queen had it in her to tell off the almighty Jacob Black," he continued teasingly.

"Well, no one messes with my friends," Bella smiled. "Besides, the guy's a massive douche. I can see now why just seeing him put you in a bad mood."

Edward's responding laugh was so loud that everyone in the café turned to look at him.

…

Jasper didn't understand what the hell was happening to him. First, he woke up with the worst muscle ache he had ever experienced. Then, upon arriving at the diner, he found out that he never made it to work last night. He discovered a tag from Heaven Café with his name on it when he got home as well.

And, to round everything up, he didn't remember anything – not missing work, not being hired at Heaven, and certainly not whatever sadistic exercise he decided to undertake to produce such body pains.

"It's all probably just sleep deprivation," Jasper muttered to himself as he laid his head on his pillow. "Your memory's just going haywire from stress and tiredness."

And with that, he promptly fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Edward was in the middle of getting dressed for work when Scheduler decided to appear. Her visit was a surprise; he hadn't seen her at all in two days.

"Hi!" she greeted as Edward finished tying his shoes.

"Hey," he replied. "So, I haven't seen you in a while. What's up?"

"Aww, did someone miss me?" Scheduler cooed.

"Well, I did enjoy my peace and quiet."

"Shut up. I know you did," she swatted him playfully before plopping down on the sofa next to him. "Things have just been pretty crazy up in the main office these past couple of days, so I'm sorry that I didn't get to check up on you. I assume everything's been fine?"

"They have," Edward nodded.

"And?"

"And…what?"

"Aren't you going to elaborate? C'mon, I need a status update!"

Edward filled Scheduler in on everything that happened since he last saw her. Scheduler listened attentively as he told her about seeing Bella again, his altercation with Jacob at Heaven, Jacob and Rosalie's evil plan, and his intent of stopping them.

"Edward," she shook her head after he finished. "You shouldn't be focusing on that right now. Your priority should be this." She lifted his wrist and pointed to his cuff.

"I know, I know. Collecting the tears is important," Edward conceded. "But it's my family they're targeting, not just me. Sched, they plan on taking over and leaving them penniless!"

"Look, I know you care about them, and the fact that you want to help is really admirable, but it isn't your mission. Getting back to your body is. " Scheduler placed a hand on his shoulder. "Need I remind you that your life is at stake here?"

"Well, so is my family's. I can't just let those two snakes destroy everything my dad has worked for."

"And I get that. I'm just saying that your main concern should be getting those tears. Just…think of it this way: once you get them, you'll return to your body, then you'll get to warn your parents about Jacob and Rosalie."

"But it might be too late by then!"

"You're not thinking all that logically right now, Ed," Scheduler scolded him. "Face it; you can't really do anything about the situation as Jasper. I mean, what are you going to do? Just barge into your hospital room and announce to your parents what your best friend and fiancée are up to? They'll think you're crazy!"

"Give me some credit here. I'm not so stupid that I'd do something like that, but I am going to do something. I have to at least try,"

Scheduler sighed. "I guess there isn't really anything I can do to stop you. Just…don't forget about what your mission, 'kay? And I won't be around to help all the time, so be careful."

"Always am."

The two became quiet after that, letting their argument fully settle down. A moment later, Scheduler seemed to have remembered something as she felt up her pockets.

"I almost forgot," she said, her hand emerging with a black rectangular object. "Here."

Edward took the article and inspected it. "A phone? Who do you expect me to call, exactly?"

"Duh. Me!" Scheduler pointed to herself. "It's supposed to allow you to contact me if you need anything or if you have any questions. Beats having to talk to no one and expecting me to show up to answer."

"You have a point there," Edward nodded. "Huh. I never realized you guys from up there use technology, too."

"Hey, the digital age isn't limited to just this world," Scheduler laughed. "We gotta keep up with the times, man. Besides, where is it written that people in the afterlife aren't allowed iPhones?"

"Nowhere, I guess," Edward chuckled. He opened the list of contacts and saw 'Scheduler 3' registered.

"I see I already have your number," he noted. "Why didn't you put in your real name?"

"Because I don't remember it."

That made Edward pause. "You don't?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "I don't remember anything about when I was alive, actually."

"Why?"

Scheduler shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm sure there's a good reason behind it. 'God works in mysterious ways' and all that. Anyway, I should let you get to work before you're late."

Edward glanced at the clock. He had forty-five minutes before his shift began.

"Oh, and by the way," Scheduler said as she stood. "I'm the only person you can contact with that phone."

"Yeah, I figured. Who else do you think I would call?"

"Hmm, I don't know…perhaps a certain little brunette beauty who's caught your eye?"

Edward blinked rapidly. "Who, Bella? What – what makes you think I'll – I mean, not that I wouldn't want to, but – I mean – "

Scheduler laughed loudly. "Hey, I never mentioned anything about Bella. Though by the way you looked and sounded when you were talking about her earlier, there might be something between the two of you that you're not seeing."

Before he could formulate a reply, she had disappeared.

"Stupid cryptic little drill sergeant," Edward muttered. He left for work shortly after that, and reached Heaven ten minutes early. Bella was already there, meticulously icing an intricate pattern on a three-tiered cake.

"Morning, boss," Edward greeted with a large grin.

"Oh, hey Jasper," Bella paused to wave at him.

"That looks beautiful," he nodded at the baked dessert in front of her. "You're really good at that."

A warm blush covered Bella's cheeks and her tone turned shy. "Um, thank you, but I'm not really that good at cake decorating. The baking part's more my forte."

"You're being too modest. This is stunning ," Edward insisted as he took a closer look. "Everything's just so…delicate. I would definitely ruin this if you asked me to do it. These hands aren't meant for such gentle work, I'm afraid."

Bella stared at him as he spoke. The words that came out of his mouth were so familiar – they brought back memories that she had tried so hard to forget...

"_You have to keep your hand steady – quit shaking so much!" Bella laughed as Edward ruined yet another sheet of sponge cake. She took the icing pipe from him in mock annoyance._

"_I can't help it!" Edward held his hands up. "You're the baking expert around here, Bells. I'm just around for aesthetics."_

"_Aesthetics, huh."_

"_Yep," he popped the 'p'. "I'm the brawn and the muscle, while you're the brains and the cooking master. These hands are destined to do manly stuff like destroy things and fix cars, and yours are meant to make things pretty."_

"_Well, those muscles still better learn how to ice a cake properly; otherwise you're going to fail Home Ec."_

Bella shook her head as she shoved the memory to the back of her mind.

The rest of the morning passed by normally with the regular influx of breakfast customers, and noon brought about the lunch patrons. Edward was busy carrying trays of pastas and Paninis to tables when he saw public enemy number one (in his world, anyway) enter.

Jacob was still in his suit and tie, but at least he didn't look as pompous as he did the last time. His eyes roved the café, and when he spotted what he was looking for, he moved quickly towards it. Edward watched as he stopped by the counter and called Bella's name.

_Aw, hell no, _Edward thought furiously. _What the fuck does he want from her this time?!_

"Uh, excuse me, but can you give us our food now please? We're starving over here!"

Edward's attention went back to the customers he was supposed to serve. After hastily depositing the contents of his tray on the table, he pretended to clean a table near the counter as he strained to hear what Jacob had to say.

"…to apologize again for my behaviour the other day."

"There isn't a need to say sorry twice, Jacob," Bella told him. She placed two glasses of lemonade on a tray that Jane quickly took.

"Still. I just wanted to let you know how sincere it was."

"Well…okay, then. Thanks, I guess."

"I'm just going through a lot of stress at the moment, and I guess I kinda took out my frustrations at your server," Jacob explained. "I mean, after Edward got into an accident – "

"Edward got hurt?" Bella interrupted. Suddenly, she was all ears. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He got into a car accident, but he's alive, don't worry," Jacob assured her. "Well, he's in a coma, but still."

"Oh my God," Bella whispered. She took two steps back and covered her mouth with her hand. "I didn't…I mean, I didn't know…oh my God."

"Hey, hey. It's okay. His dad made sure he gets the best treatment over at Northwestern, and the doctor there said he's stable and has a chance of waking up."

Edward watched with inexplicable nervousness as Bella struggled to say something. She was shaking all over and looked so troubled that he worried she might collapse.

Thankfully, she didn't, and instead, ran out the door.

**Many thanks again to AstridGreenEyes who volunteered to make a story banner.**


	7. Chapter 7

About a million and one thoughts were running through Bella's brain as she bolted out of Heaven, but all of them were centered on none other than Edward Cullen.

"This is…oh my God," she said again as she raked through the hair at her temples. She couldn't understand what emotions were going through her – was there grief? Shock? Panic? One thing was for sure, though. The vault of feelings she had so closely guarded and locked up was now wide open.

"Bella! What's going on? Where are you going?"

Bella stopped her pacing and turned around to see Jacob jogging towards her. She didn't think she could handle anyone being too close at the moment, so she was thankful when he stopped approaching.

"I just…I need to go," she replied as she felt her pockets. Once she had her keys, she walked briskly to her car.

"Go? Go where?" Jacob asked, completely bewildered.

"Northwestern," Bella said in lieu of an answer. "You said he was at Northwestern."

"Wh – Edward? Yeah, that's where he is. Is that where you're heading to?"

Bella didn't respond. Rather, she climbed into her old Honda Accord and drove away.

_Okay, that was probably rude, _Bella realized as she made her way through the city. She didn't feel too sorry about it, however, since her mind was definitely elsewhere. When she reached the hospital grounds, she surprised herself by not feeling the least bit hesitant as she entered and asked the front desk where Edward's room was.

It was only when she was standing outside of it did the nerves settle. Out of nowhere, Bella's heart pounded faster, and she could feel her throat beginning to dry.

"God, what are you doing?!" she whisper-yelled to herself. "You haven't seen the man in nearly a decade, and yet here you are, just about to waltz into his room? You're freaking _insane._" She paused to take a deep breath. "Calm down and think about this for a second, Bella; don't do anything drastic."

But it was too late to back-out then. The door opened and Esme Cullen suddenly came into view.

"Oh my!" Esme exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest. Bella merely gasped and took a step back.

For a while, the two women just stared at each other, until Esme finally gained her composure. She smiled warmly and chuckled.

"I'm so sorry, dear. You caught me by surprise. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Bella's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She hadn't factored in seeing anyone else, which was stupid on her part. Of course there would be someone keeping Edward company, his parents especially.

"I…um," Bella stuttered when she regained the ability to speak. "I just…uh…"

"Wait," Esme interrupted her rambling as she looked at her from head to toe. "Isabella?"

"I, um…yeah. It's me," Bella laughed nervously, twisting the hem of her shirt. "It's good to see you again, Mrs. Cullen." She had been over at the Cullen's enough times in high school to know the heads of the family well, and Esme hadn't changed much in the past eight years.

"Oh, honey, none of that 'Mrs. Cullen' stuff. Come here!" In a move unanticipated by Bella, Esme pulled her into a warm hug. The smell of honey and warm cookies filled Bella's senses, relaxing her somewhat.

"I haven't seen you in ages! How've you been?" the older woman asked when they pulled away.

"I've been okay," Bella replied with a smile. "I just…I heard about what happened to – " she paused to swallow. "To Ed – Edward and I wanted to see him."

The smile Esme had on her face faltered a bit, and she nodded sadly. "Of course, dear. Please, come in."

She ushered Bella into the luxurious private room which boasted its own private kitchen and a small living room. None of those registered to Bella, however, as she was more transfixed on the still figure on the bed.

A gasp escaped her mouth when she saw fully Edward's state. She already knew that the damage he took must have been extensive if he was in a coma, but she couldn't help her reaction. Esme wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

"He's okay," she said. "I know that with all the wires and the tubes, he looks like he isn't, but the doctors have said that he's doing just fine."

"What happened?" Bella whispered. She knew that he was caught in the middle of an accident, but she didn't know what the specifics were.

"To put it simply, he crashed into another car," Esme said. "Edward was driving too fast. You know how he is with speed."

Despite everything, Bella smiled. She did know how much Edward loved to go fast. He constantly teased her about how slow her old rusted truck was, and she knew first-hand how many speeding tickets he could have gotten if it weren't for his uncanny ability to sense nearby police cars.

"How long has he been in a…asleep?"

"Just a few days."

"Does he have any other injuries?"

"Only a broken arm, a few bruises, and a nasty gash on his forehead, thank God," Esme said. "All of them are healing properly, though, so now we just have to wait until he wakes up."

Bella nodded. "I'm so sorry. About what happened, I mean."

"Don't be. It wasn't something we could control. Now," Esme steered her to one of the couches. "Talk to me about you. It feels like a lifetime since I last saw you! How is everything? Did you get to attend that culinary school you used to talk about? "

"Everything's okay," Bella replied. "And yes, I was blessed enough to be offered a scholarship at the French Culinary Institute. I graduated a few years ago."

"That's wonderful! And where do you work now? I think Edward told me before that you wanted to open your own bakery."

"That – that hasn't happened yet, I'm afraid," Bella gave a small smile. "I'm working for my aunt and uncle's café for now."

"Oh. Well, there's no rush. I'm sure you'll get there in time." Esme patted her shoulder before contemplating. "You know, now that I think about it, Edward's never mentioned that. I know I haven't seen you in a while, but do you and Edward still talk?"

"Um…no. We just went our separate ways after high school, I guess, and with how busy everything is, we…never got the chance to reconnect."

"That's a pity – the two of you were so close back in Forks. But you're here now and that's what's important. I know Edward would appreciate you being here. Your support has always mattered so much to him."

Bella merely smiled.

"So, how are your aunt and uncle? Is business doing okay?"

For the next few minutes, Esme continued to ask Bella question after question. The latter couldn't remember the last time she talked to so much; she still kept up a steady stream of answers, though, until the conversation reached a topic she couldn't discuss quite yet.

"And what about your father? Is the chief still working?"

A lump formed in Bella's throat, and she bit her lip to keep calm. "Um, no. No, he's not working anymore."

"That's good. He definitely deserves the down time, especially with all the overtimes he's had to pull. Why, I can't even remember all the times you stayed over because he was at the station all night," Esme chuckled and shook her head. "Is he still at Forks?"

"He – he passed away last month, actually."

Esme reached out to take Bella's hand. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I didn't realize – "

"It's okay," Bella smiled slightly. She patted the hand on top of hers.

"Did he – was it his job? I know the crime rate of Forks isn't high at all but…"

"No, it wasn't anything like that. He was diagnosed with – with cancer, and…well, he's finally at rest now, and that's what matters."

"I'm sure he is, dear. I'm so sorry for your loss." Esme leaned forward for a comforting hug which Bella reluctantly received.

The quiet moment was broken when the front door opened, and Rosalie entered the room. Esme stood to greet her.

"Rose! I wasn't expecting you, honey."

"I just thought to keep Edward company over lunch," Rosalie replied as she set her bags down and took off her coat. "I didn't realize you have a visitor."

"Oh, it's just Bella Swan, Edward's old friend," Esme gestured to Bella.

"Swan, Swan…oh! Izzy, is that you?" Rose exclaimed as she ran and threw her arms around Bella. "Omigosh, it's been forever! It's me – Rosalie Hale! You remember me, right?"

"Oof! I mean – yeah," Bella let out an awkward laugh as she patted Rose at the back. She was never friends with the blonde in high school and barely spoke to her, really, so she was surprised by the affection.

"So, what's up, girl? We have so much to catch up on!" Rose was playing long-lost best friend to a T, and Bella couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.

"Ah, I'm doing fine," she said vaguely. "Y'know, just…the usual stuff, I guess. Nothing much to tell."

"Well, _I_ have _so _much to tell you. You simply have to stay for lunch!"

"I'd love to, uh, Rose, but I can't. I have to go back to work."

"Oh, I'm sure they won't mind if you take a couple more hours off. And we don't mind splitting the food, do we, Esme?"

"Of course we don't," Esme squeezed Bella's hand again. "We'd love it if you can stay a while longer, Bella."

Clearly outnumbered, Bella conceded. "Alright, if you both insist."

Rosalie squealed and Esme grinned widely. Soon after that, Bella found herself seated between the two ladies with a spread of Indian take-out laid out in front of her.

"So, Izzy," Rosalie began after sipping some water. "Do you have anyone special in your life?"

Bella blinked. "Like a boyfriend?"

"Yeah. Or a husband, fiancée…by the way Edward used to talk about your baking, surely you would've snagged one by now. After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right?"

"Er, no. None of that sort. I just don't have any time for that kind of stuff, I guess."

"Aw, well that's a crying shame," Rose shook her head and sighed. "Oh well. Not everyone can be as lucky as Edward and I, I suppose."

"You and Edward?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" the blonde looked at her with exaggerated surprise. "We're engaged!" She wiggled her fingers so the diamond that rested there sparkled under the light.

"Y – You are?"

"Uh-huh. Isn't it so exciting?! Oh, I have to tell you about the night Edward proposed. See, we were walking down the…" Rosalie continued to blather on, but Bella couldn't hear a word she was saying. All she could concentrate on was the fact that Edward was going to marry her.

_I'm too late._

_Too late for what? Edward? Newsflash! You never stood a chance!_

Bella almost slapped herself in the face. Of course she never did. Edward had chosen Rosalie in high school, and obviously, he still chooses her now. And why wouldn't he? Rose was a bombshell – every man's dream with her long blonde locks, killer body, and gorgeous face. What did plain-Jane Bella ever have aside from the ability to make people fat with her pastries?

The sound of Bella's phone buzzing away in her pocket fortunately kept her from continuing her depressing thoughts and Rosalie her elaborate engagement tale. After quickly excusing herself, she went to a quiet corner and answered.

"Hello?"

"Bella? Oh thank God. Where the hell are you?!"

"Calm down, Uncle Pete, I'm at the hospital."

"Hospital? Good Lord, girl, what happened this time? Sprained ankle? Fractured wrist?"

"No, I'm…visiting a friend. I just, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed back at Heaven, so I went for a drive and figured I'd might as well visit this friend."

"Oh. Well, okay. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good, because we seriously need you here. Pablo just fainted, so we're one chef short, and this lunch rush isn't dying out just yet."

Bella sighed in relief for the excuse to leave. "I'm on my way."

"Alright, I'll see you soon. Drive safe, okay kid?"

"I'll be careful, Uncle Pete."

Bella ended the call and returned to Rosalie and Esme. "Um, it was wonderful seeing you both again, but I really need to get back to my job now. They're short one person, so they need me to fill in."

"Of course, dear. Don't be a stranger, okay? Come back at any time. Edward would love it if you did. I'm sure he's missed you."

That made Bella's heart tighten. "Thanks, Esme. I'll bring by a cake sometime."

"You're leaving already?" Rosalie stood. "What is it you do, anyway?"

"She's a chef and head-baker at her uncle's café, Rose," Esme answered. She glanced at her watch. "Oh, and they're still having lunch service back there, I'm guessing."

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "So, I'll just be on my – "

"Wait, you're a chef?" Rosalie interrupted. "OMG, that's perfect! You know, the caterer for the firm's anniversary ball just backed out the last minute, and I would love it if you'd step in."

"But, Rosalie, I'm not a cater – "

"Nonsense! You were, like, queen of Home Ec back in high school. You could totally do it!"

"I can ask my aunt and uncle, I guess," Bella replied, but before she could finish speaking, Rosalie was shoving a card into her hands.

"Great! Here's my number; call or text ASAP and we'll talk about the details, mkay?"

"Uh, sure," Bella said hastily. "I'll see you some other time, then. Nice seeing you again, Esme."

And with that, she left the room.

"Okay, that was stressful," she mumbled to herself as she brisk walked towards the elevator. She was staring at her feet as she did, so she didn't notice anyone with her in the hallway until she literally ran into the person.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," she apologized. When she looked up, her eyebrows shot right up as well.

"Jasper? What are you doing here?"


	8. Chapter 8

_Oh, shit. Oh shitty-shit-shit!_

Edward ran a hand through his hair as Bella looked up at him with a confused look on her face. He hadn't really counted on seeing her (poor planning on his part), so now that she was standing in front of him, he was at a loss for words.

After running to the parking lot and accosting Jacob into telling him where Bella ran off to, Edward got onto the next bus that passed by Northwestern…or at least, he _thought _it was the next bus that passed near the hospital. Never having used public transport in his life unfortunately made Edward a bit unaware of how bus schedules and routes worked.

Nevertheless, he made it in about half an hour, just in time to have Bella literally run into him.

"Jasper?" Bella sounded concerned now. "You okay? You're not here 'cause you're sick, are you?"

"No! No, nothing like that," Edward replied with a short laugh. "I just…came to check on you. You seemed really upset when you just up and left, and I was worried." He wasn't completely lying. Edward really was alarmed by Bella's reaction, but his worry was split between her, and what her visit would mean for him.

"Oh," Bella seemed taken aback by his response. "So, Uncle Peter didn't send you to get me?"

"No, I came on my own. I'm sure he's anxious about you, too, though."

For reasons unknown to him, Bella blushed and looked down shyly before speaking again.

"Yeah, he just called to let me know I'm needed urgently back at the café…which makes me wonder why he let you leave. Isn't it really busy back there?"

Edward truthfully didn't know. "Um, I didn't notice. I just kinda left after you did, so…I guess they don't even know that I'm not there anymore."

"Well, we better get back to Heaven, then. One of the chefs fainted, and I'm sure they need you back, too. C'mon."

Edward was surprised when Bella grabbed his hand and began tugging him to the elevators. Surprised in a good way, though. Definitely in a good way. The whole time he was in contact with her made him feel the tingles again, and this time, he could say for sure that he liked how they felt.

Both of them were silent once they were in Bella's car and en route to Heaven. Bella seemed content to wallow in her thoughts, but Edward was starting to get antsy; he had to know even just a smidgen of what had happened in his hospital room.

"So," he began. "Not that I'm trying to pry or anything, but who did you visit? I mean, she has to be pretty important if you left in the middle of lunch to go see her."

"Him, actually," Bella corrected him. "And it was Edward Cullen."

"Cullen…" Edward pretended to contemplate. "Cullen, as in the student body president and batch valedictorian?"

_Okay, that may have been pushing my achievements a little, but hey, those are what most people remember me as, right?_

"Yes, him," Bella nodded. "Jacob told me that he was…um, was caught in the middle of a car accident, and he's in a coma, so I figured I'd, y'know, come see him."

"He and Jacob are pretty close, then."

"Yeah, they've been best friends since he transferred to Forks High."

"But weren't you two close as well? You and Edward, I mean." And so began the subtle answer-fishing. "You and he were always together since freshman year."

When Bella didn't answer right away, Edward turned to look at her. Her face was blank, but the way she gripped the steering wheel gave away her real emotions.

"I guess you can say that," she said finally. "But sometimes, people grow apart, and unfortunately, that's what happened to us."

_Grew apart? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

"So, it wasn't because he…did anything?" Yes, he was running out of shame.

Again, Bella became silent, and this made Edward even more agitated. Silence oftentimes meant yes, but now, he knew that wasn't the case.

"No, he didn't do anything," Bella said after a second more. "Not anything wrong, anyway. Things just…naturally progressed to how they are now, and it isn't anyone's fault."

Edward scratched the back of his neck to avert his hands from pulling at his hair. Why must girls be so cryptic sometimes? Was it so hard to say something like 'actually, Edward became a huge jerk before we graduated, so I stopped hanging out with him'?"

_No shit she isn't going to say that, Cullen. Number one, this is Bella we're talking about; the girl couldn't confront, displease, or speak ill of anyone for the life of her…unless you count third grade when she shouted at Mary Hill, but that's beside the point. Number two, she barely knows Jasper, so it's not like she's going to be spilling anything personal…_

"Did you know he's engaged?" Bella suddenly blurted, pulling Edward out of his internal monologue. "To Rosalie Hale. I – She was in his room when I went to visit."

"Oh," Edward replied. Of course he knew about the engagement, but he was surprised she would bring it up. He decided to feign ignorance to keep up the Jasper façade. "Um…no, I didn't know that."

"I guess it isn't much of a surprise. They've been together since our senior year, and they seem…happy. I mean, they were happy before, I'm sure, but they're still…just…and the way Rosalie talked about him was…well, like I said, they're happy…with each other. But of course they would be since they're getting married and all…"

_Oh, Bella, if only you knew._

It didn't shock Edward that Rosalie would still be playing the excited fiancée card, but it saddened him to see Bella so affected by the whole thing. He knew for a fact that she rambled when she was upset to hide her feelings, so to hear her go on and on about how he and Rose were so perfect together twisted his heart a little.

"…and she asked me to cater some kind of party the company she works for's having. I don't think – "

"Wait," Edward interrupted. "You mean the anniversary ball?"

Cullen Architecture was going to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in about a week. It just figured that Rose would insist on having the festivities carry on despite her fiancé's current state.

"Yeah," Bella looked at him. "How'd you know?"

_Ah, shit._

"I…read about it. Just by passing, y'know?" _That information's up on the website, right?_ "The, uh, architecture firm where she works is about to have its fiftieth anniversary."

Instead of being satisfied by his answer, Bella just looked even more confused. "You know where Rosalie works?"

"Uh…yes. I also read about that actually…on her Facebook profile. Yeah, her, um, place of employment was mentioned. It's Cullen Architecture." Edward responded as smoothly as he could. He used to be the king of excuses and made-up stories in elementary school; he wondered briefly what had happened to that skill of his.

_Cut me some slack, man. I'm working under pressure here!_

_With pressure or without, you better clean up your act or at this rate, I can guarantee that within a week, the whole of Chicago will know about how you possess some guy's body to get back to your own._

_That's stretching it a little too much, don't you think?_

Thankfully, Bella accepted his answer. She nodded and gave a short 'oh, okay' as she pulled into Heaven's parking lot.

…

That night, Edward idly played with his new phone as he stared at his body. Esme was taking a nap and Rosalie was taking a call outside, so that left him alone with his thoughts, or more specifically, with his tentative take-down strategies.

So far, nothing seemed to be a good idea. As Jasper, he had no access to company records or the company itself, no relationship with his parents, and basically, no credibility whatsoever. Still, he had to come up with some way to at least let either Carlisle or Esme know what Rose and Jacob were up to without blowing his cover.

A small part of him held out a little bit of hope that maybe those two would listen to whatever moral bone was left in them and abandon their plans, but the chances of that happening were slim to none. Edward groaned aloud and rubbed his face.

He was just about to get up and begin pacing when Carlisle entered the room. The sound of the door opening woke Esme, and Carlisle approached her to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi," he greeted softly, stroking her hair.

"Carlisle?" Esme yawned. "Did you just get off work, dear?"

Carlisle nodded as he removed his blazer. "We're just so busy lately. I have to put in the extra hours if I want anything to get done."

"Honey, you work too hard," Esme scolded lightly as she rubbed his shoulders. "You should take some time off to recharge."

"You know I can't," he replied wearily. "With the ball coming soon, new clients coming in, and big projects that need to get done, there really aren't enough hours in a day to finish everything. Of course, it also doesn't help that one of our greatest assets is out of commission as of the moment," he glanced at Edward's body and sighed. "I feel like I'm going to collapse one of these days."

"Maybe you should start delegating tasks more. You're not a robot, Carlisle; you'll kill yourself at this rate."

"That's what I was thinking as well," Carlisle agreed. "Perhaps it's time I give some of the more…higher-positioned employees more responsibility."

"Oh no," Edward muttered. He could feel where the conversation was leading, and he wasn't liking it one bit. "Dad, please don't say it…"

"Esme, what do you think of giving Jacob a bigger role in the firm?"

_Yep, he said it._

**This chapter has been written amidst a massive writer's block and stressful accounting problems (one can only take so much computing for current liabilities). Feedback will be most welcome and appreciated as always :)**


	9. Chapter 9

"Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Look at you – you're practically dead on your feet!"

"It's all good, Shelly," Jasper yawned. "I just haven't been sleeping very well."

"You work too hard," Shelly tutted as she wiped a grease stain off his cheek with a small towel. "You should cut down on your hours, or take a day off."

"You know I can't, Shel."

"Oh, pish. If this is about money again, you know I can – "

"No," Jasper interrupted. He had always refused when the elderly waitress would offer to lend him money before, and he wasn't about to begin. "Thanks, but I can manage."

For once since he started saying that phrase, though, he was actually telling the truth. While Jasper wasn't entirely aware of what had happened in the past couple of days, he did know that whatever he had been doing was certainly bringing in a substantial amount of money. He had woken up this morning to see the bills that were nearing their deadline paid, and he even had a little cash left-over for savings.

He was just so tired, though.

"Well, if you ever need anything, don't be too proud to ask me, okay?" Shelly smiled at her young co-worker.

"You'll be the first person I turn to." Jasper smiled. Shelly squeezed his shoulders before walking into the kitchen.

"Um, excuse me?"

Jasper turned to one of the four customers sitting in the booths. He didn't know the young woman, but she stopped by the diner on her way home enough times to be a familiar face.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Can I have a refill of my coffee, please?"

"Sure thing," Jasper replied before retrieving the coffee pot. He was doing a decent job at it, until his hands decided to shake badly, effectively missing the mug and spilling some of the beverage on the girl.

"Oh, shit! I am so sorry!" he exclaimed as she jumped from her seat with a gasp. He quickly used a towel to keep the coffee from dripping anywhere else. "Are you – were you burned? God, I'm such an idiot. I – "

"I'm alright – no burns, don't worry," the girl assured him. She glanced at her stained clothes. "And I've had worse things ruin my pants. This is nothing some good detergent can't knock out."

"Oh," he laughed nervously. "Like what?"

"Blood, feces, vomit…the usual occupational hazards of nurses," she answered with a laugh. "Sorry, I think that was a little TMI. I mean, I don't even know your name!"

"Jasper," Jasper blurted. He cleared his throat before continuing. "My name's Jasper."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Jasper," the girl replied as she held out her hand for a handshake. "I'm Alice."

…

It was obvious to everyone at Heaven that Bella was stressed. Her hair was barely held in a ratty bun, her clothes were a rumpled mess, and the dark circles under her eyes gave the impression that she probably had a total of five hours sleep in the entire week.

And all of it was because of a certain Rosalie Hale.

To be fair, it wasn't really_ all_ Rose's fault since it was Charlotte and Peter who agreed to cater the ball, but the former was just so demanding and picky.

The whole menu she dictated was ridiculously elaborate, and she refused to communicate with anyone from the café aside from Bella. That meant having to learn difficult recipes in a few days and entertaining calls as late as one in the morning for Heaven's poor baker.

Edward watched as she ran in and out of the kitchen. As one of the servers assigned to help at the ball, he was helping the others pack equipment and pre-prepped food into the van outside, but what he really wanted to do was go to Bella and calm her down.

When she almost tripped for the nth time that evening, Edward decided it was time he stepped in. He put the box filled with display stand parts down and swiftly walked towards her.

"Bella, maybe you should sit down for a second," he suggested softly as she righted herself. "Or go outside for a couple of minutes. Get some fresh air."

"I can't," Bella replied almost automatically. "There's just so much that still needs to get done! About ten dowels for the cake broke and – "

"Hey, hey. Easy," Edward placed his hands on her shoulders. "It'll get sorted out, but not with you running around and possibly getting yourself hurt. Let's just…take a second to breathe, okay?"

Bella looked like she was about to protest at first, but then her shoulders sagged in acquiesce.

"Okay, you're right," she said. "I need to get it together."

"You will," Edward nodded. "You just need a little break is all. I don't think you've had one all week."

Bella took a deep breath before looking up at him through her lashes. She saw the genuine concern he had for her in his blue eyes, and she couldn't help the warmth building in her chest. The gentle hands on her shoulders added to the feeling as well.

For a while, the two of them stood there amidst the busy café, simply looking at each other. The moment was broken only when a loud car horn blared from outside.

"I, um," Bella began awkwardly. "I guess I'll take a minute to compose myself."

"Good," Edward cleared his throat. "Do you want some company?"

The 'yes' waiting on Bella's tongue was so ready to come out that she almost said it, but she stopped herself at the last second. "Thanks, Jasper, but I'll be fine. And I should let you get back to…doing whatever you were doing before."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked. He found himself praying that she would respond with a 'no' and let him stay near her.

"Yeah. Thanks for offering, though. And for stopping me from freaking out more."

"It's no problem," Edward whispered as she stepped away from him, making his arms fall limply back to his sides. He continued to watch her until her figure disappeared through the back entrance.

"Hey Jas,"

Edward jerked a little and looked at the girl next to him.

"What's up, Jane?"

"Nothing much," Jane simpered, drawing circles on a nearby table with her finger. "Just wanted to let you know that Bossman and Eric need your help getting some stuff from the back."

"Oh," he blinked. "I'll get to it, then."

"She feels it, too, you know," she called out after Edward took a few steps. He turned back around to stare at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying what you're feeling isn't one-sided," Jane grinned mischievously. "She's just probably a little confused. Give her some time." And with that she sashayed away.

Edward was about to argue, but what points did he want to make, exactly? He certainly didn't know. Yes, he had the overwhelming urge to be around Bella, but wasn't that just because he missed his once close friend? And as for the tingles he felt whenever they touched...well, he couldn't really explain that, but it was probably nothing.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He supposed he could just re-analyze everything when he gets the chance to brood alone.

As Edward went back to his job, Bella leaned against the side of Heaven's building and gulped a lungful of air. She knew that the purpose of her taking a minute to breathe was to keep her from getting even more frazzled, but the opposite seemed to be happening.

Though she already figured that she had misjudged Jasper's personality, she couldn't quite get her head around how…sweet he was. And funny. And charming. And…how much he and Edward were alike.

_I mean, Edward was the only one who could ever get me to simmer down before a stress attack could really happen…until Jasper came along, anyway, _Bella thought. _And how he was worried enough about me to look for me at the hospital…_

She shook her head and breathed in deeply again. All the Jasper-Edward correlation her brain was conjuring was most probably just the aftermath of seeing Edward at the hospital. The sleep deprivation and strain she had to go through the past days most likely contributed, too.

Well, whatever was going on in her mind didn't matter at the moment as she had an event to cater. Fixing her hair, she strode back into the café.

…

"Would you care for an hors d' oeuvre, sir?"

"Yes, thank you. Anyway, that was when I told Janice that it was absolutely unacceptable that Martin got rejected by Harvard…"

Edward resisted the urge to roll his eyes and walked away from the group of businessmen. Cullen Architecture's anniversary ball was in full swing at the Four Seasons, and as a server, he had to move around with a platter of…mini bread things amongst the throngs of employees and guests.

He spotted Jacob and Rosalie sitting together at one table, and his grip tightened around his tray. He never thought he could feel so much hatred for someone (or in this case, two someone's), but apparently, he could; even just looking at them made him want to crush something.

The anger grew even worse when his parents joined the two since he was reminded of Carlisle's plan of possibly getting Jacob promoted. That was playing right into their plan, and he would be damned if he allowed it to fall through.

_Happy thoughts, Edward. Just focus on happy thoughts and move on._

Edward nodded to himself and briskly walked to the main service table. He told himself that he needed to refill his tray, but really, he just wanted to see Bella again.

After all, isn't it better to actually see and hear the subject of your happy thoughts than to just think of it?

And it did make Edward ridiculously happy to see Bella, especially when she smiled at him when he approached. She was overseeing everything, but she still wore a pretty, albeit simple, dress and some black ballet flats. Her hair was also styled, and she had a light layer of make-up on.

Edward thought she looked stunning.

"Hi. Everything going okay?" Bella asked while she arranged more hors d' oeuvres on a bigger platter.

"Yeah, just came here to refill," Edward gestured to the silver tray in his hands. "Who knew the Cullens' firm was this loaded, huh?"

"I know," she sighed. "I almost threw a fit when Rosalie mentioned that they were having five hundred guests. And to have the menu be Mediterranean themed? Gosh, I don't think I've ever tried cooking anything with Mediterranean flavors. And the pastries, too…it's a good thing Google exists and we got to call in some back-up; otherwise, we would've been screwed!"

"Yeah, Rosalie can be real demanding like that," Edward muttered.

"Well, the important thing is we did our job, and everybody seems to like the food so far. I mean, they do right?"

"Of course. All the recipes you made and used are delicious."

A blush covered Bella's cheeks. "Thanks."

Unfortunately, the banter between the two had to end when Jacob approached and asked for Bella to come with him. Edward almost punched him on the nose for even thinking about stealing her away. His eyes trained on them as they walked to the table where Carlisle, Esme, and Rose were sitting.

Edward decided then to return to his server duties, and purposely milled around that particular area. Nobody seemed to have noticed his presence when he arrived, thankfully, so he was able to stay just close enough to overhear.

"…so lovely, Bella!" Esme praised. "If the hors d' oeuvres are this good, I can't wait to taste the courses!"

"Thank you, Esme," Bella smiled timidly. "I can't really take the credit for everything, though; I've had a lot of help."

"But you were in charge, right? Rosalie said you organized everything about the food."

"Well, I was the only one she was contacting, so…"

"Don't be so modest about it, Izzy, you did a great job!" Rosalie commended with a patronizing tone. "See? I told you guys getting her to cater this would be a good idea."

"You certainly put our doubts to rest," Carlisle chuckled. "And of course, it's great to be have you back, Bella. When Esme talked about seeing you again, I almost went down to your café to see you myself. We've missed you."

Bella looked down, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention she was getting.

The table continued conversing for a while, and after a few minutes, Bella excused herself to return to her duties. Edward decided to stick around, though.

For the most part, the topics of their conversations were pretty boring and generic. Edward was tempted to leave, but then Jacob's phone began to vibrate from an incoming call.

"Excuse me, I have to take this," Jacob pointed to the gadget in his hand before giving Rosalie a meaningful look. The latter nodded slightly, and the former got up from the table.

_What the hell is going on?_

_I don't know, but it's time to use your espionage skills, Cullen._

Employing all the stealth, cunning, and ninja moves that he knew, Edward followed Jacob until they reached the balcony. Edward hid between a post and a potted bush as he strained to listen.

"What?! Dammit Laurent, I told you those files are important! How could you even…you know what? I don't care. You're fired."

Jacob hung up abruptly and proceeded to compose what seemed like a lengthy text message. A few moments after it was sent, Rosalie came storming into the scene, her eyes narrowed with anger.

"What do you mean they were erased?" she demanded. "What kind of idiots do you have working for you?!"

"Believe me, that idiot isn't working for me anymore," Jacob muttered as he puttered with his phone.

"Well, what are we supposed to do now? You know those files are vital if we want to take over the damn firm."

"Will you shut up for a minute? I'm not a fucking moron, alright? I kept back-ups."

"Well, where are they, then?"

"In a flash drive I hid in Edward's hospital room."


	10. Chapter 10

Edward struggled to stay quiet as he stopped himself from screaming in outrage. Because…really? Out of all the places Jacob could have hidden the flash drive, he had to choose his hospital room?

When Edward truly thought of it, though, that strategy was actually kinda smart. The hospital would be the last place anyone would think to look for a USB, especially one that apparently held documents that can make his family lose the firm.

He quickly shook his head and tried to listen better. Now wasn't the time to be praising Jacob's evil genius.

"Oh really," Rosalie sounded totally unimpressed. "And you don't think anyone would have noticed it by now?"

Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. "You know, I really don't appreciate how you're underestimating me."

"Well, I wouldn't be doing it if you came up with better ideas. Or at least had competent goons working for you."

"No one's noticed it or taken it, okay?" Jacob sighed. "It's inside Edward's old stuffed penguin."

A few days ago, Esme had read somewhere that comatose victims have better chances of waking up when they're surrounded by objects that hold memories for them. Willing to try anything for her son, Esme had brought many of Edward's old childhood toys to the hospital, one of them being the stuffed penguin he received when he was five.

_You little shit, _Edward fumed in his head. _First, you and Rose betray me, then you plan on taking over my family's company, and now you're saying that you're using Mr. Pengatron to help you screw me over?!_

"Esme would never tear that thing apart or throw it away, so the flash drive's in a safe place." Jacob continued.

"Good," Rosalie nodded. "But we have to get it tonight. With the USB being in a place that Carlisle can access, I can't risk it. We worked too hard for this, Jacob. I'm not taking any chances."

"Let's get out of here, then. I'm starting to get bored, anyway."

"Wait, I can't leave right now," Rose sighed. "I still have stuff to do at the ball, and I'm pretty sure Carlisle and Esme would think it's strange if we both have to disappear."

"I'll go by myself, then. Tell both of them that I have to deal with an important client right away – Carlisle will know what I'm talking about."

"Alright. Just be sure that when you come back, you'll have the penguin with you."

"Not if I get to it first," Edward mumbled as he tried to wedge himself out of his hiding place. He was almost completely out when his leg bumped the clay pot where the plant resided, effectively knocking the whole thing over.

"What was that?" Rosalie asked at the loud crash.

"Stay here. I'll go check it out," Jacob declared.

"Crap. Fucking…crap!" Edward whisper-yelled as he righted the tall shrub. Some soil had spilled to the floor, and he was about to clean it up then make a run for it, when Jacob appeared.

_Well...shit._

"Jasper?" Jacob questioned as he came closer. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was sent up here," Edward lied convincingly. "Car – er, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen are looking for…Miss Hale, so they asked me to come and get her."

Jacob looked at him suspiciously. "And you just knew that she would be here?"

"I asked the others if they've seen her, and they all said that they saw her heading to this area."

"Jake?"

Both Edward and Jacob turned to see Rosalie's figure standing by the balcony's double doors.

"What's going on? Is someone out there?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It's just some waiter," Jacob replied, glaring at Edward from the corner of his eye.

"Who?" Rose asked as she walked towards them. She stopped moving once she saw her lover's companion.

"Wait, is that…Jasper Whitlock?"

_Why does she remember who Jasper Whitlock is? _Edward wondered silently. _Jacob and I didn't, and it's not like we ever talked about him._

Apparently, Jacob was thinking the same thing. "You remember him?"

"Of course," Rosalie resumed walking, a big smile on her face now. "How can I forget our expert photographer from high school?"

_She knows about the whole photography club thing, too?_

"You know about the photography club?" Jacob once again spoke Edward's thoughts out loud.

"What, you never heard of it before?"

"No, I know we had a photography club back in high school, but…you know Whitlock used to be a part of it?"

"It's difficult to forget the former president."

When Jacob continued to stare at her in disbelief, Rosalie rolled her eyes. "In case you forgot, I was the secretary of the student government, Jake. I'd see him and all the other organization presidents every month when you and Edward would hold meetings."

"Right," Jacob still sounded dubious despite her plausible explanation. "Well, anyway. It was him who made the noise."

"Yeah," Edward cleared his throat. "I…ran into this plant here, and kinda made a mess." He laughed awkwardly and gestured to the scattered soil.

"Oh," Rose looked at the floor then at Edward. The look in her eyes sent the warning bells ringing in his head. "So, Jasper. How did Forks High's most promising shutterbug end up as a server?"

"Uh…"

"Carlisle and Esme are wondering where you are. They need you back at the party, apparently," Jacob spoke before Edward could think of a good lie. "That's why they sent him up here…or so he says."

"Well, we better not disappoint them," Rosalie said smartly. "Jacob, I'll see you after you get it. Jasper, do you mind escorting me back to the ball?"

Edward really, _really _wanted to tell her no, but he wasn't so blinded by his anger towards her to be stupid. Forcing a grin, he offered his arm. "Not at all, Miss Hale."

"No, wait," Jacob grabbed Rose's arm. "I…I need to talk to him for a sec."

Rosalie looked over at him with a confused expression, but shrugged. "Whatever. I'll go look for Carlisle and Esme myself, then."

When she was out of sight and earshot, Jacob turned his venomous glare at Edward.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," he hissed.

Edward was too riled up from overhearing his and Rose's devious plan to take the high road. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

"Oho, you know _exactly _what I'm going on about," Jacob growled. "I know you didn't come here at Carlisle and Esme's order. You were eavesdropping."

Though inside he was panicking, Edward maintained a cool façade. "Why are you so worried if I overheard anything? It's not like you and Rosalie were talking about doing anything despicable, right?"

Jacob's face comically contorted in anger, and Edward would have probably laughed at him if the man hadn't grabbed hold of his collar and shoved him against the wall.

"You have no idea who you're messing with. I suggest you mind your own business if you know what's good for you."

"Funny, you can't seem to do the same. Oh, wait, yes you can. I forgot it's actually _taking _someone else's business from under them that you can't seem to help."

Jacob sputtered and stepped back, releasing Edward from his grip. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out – kinda like a fish, Edward thought, especially with his eyes being wide open as well.

"You…" Jacob began when he finally found his voice. "You better watch where you step, Whitlock. Because I'll be watching you."

_Really? That's the best threat you can come up with?_

"How very Orwellian of you, Black," Edward replied sardonically. "I'll keep that mind."

The two men stood and stared each other down for a beat more until Jacob finally stomped away. Edward watched him leave the hallway and back to the room where the ball was being held before sprinting to the emergency exit. He knew for sure that Jacob was going to be using the elevator, and the stairs were the nearest way out.

It was a good thing the journey was all downhill, because Edward had somehow forgotten that the hotel ballroom was on the twentieth floor. Still, he was winded when he was finally outside.

"Jasper, you really need to work out more," he panted. His real body was toned and muscled from weekly visits to the gym, so being stuck with a host who was unfit was a hassle he still wasn't used to.

Fifteen minutes later when the bus that passed by the hospital arrived near the hotel, Edward all but flung himself into it. He had to get to his room before Jacob, and with the latter having a head start and better means of transportation, he was beyond anxious. He knew the right bus to ride in now, at least. His previous hiccup with public transport certainly pushed him to be more aware of how the Chicago bus and subway system worked.

Edward felt like a millennium had passed before the bus finally reached Northwestern. Running past the front desk, he took the elevator up to his floor and sprinted to his room. He stopped abruptly when he was in front of the door and tried to listen for any movements inside. When he heard nothing but silence, he wrenched the door open and stormed in.

His first destination was the opened toy box near the kitchenette. A lot of the toys he found, like the Optimus Prime action figure with a missing arm and a green light saber, made Edward feel a wave of nostalgia, but he didn't have time to look at each item and reminisce. When it became apparent that the toy box didn't house the stuffed penguin, Edward stood and looked around the room.

Three more boxes were scattered around, all of them labelled with his name and a year – most probably the year when he acquired and played with the things inside.

_Leave it to mom to be sentimental, _he thought absently as he began to rummage through the first box. After coming up empty, he was just about to move on to the next when the distinct sound of the door opening made his spine stiffen.

"Crap, what now?!" he asked himself, frantically searching for a good hiding spot. He hurriedly entered the bathroom, but kept the door slightly open to see what was happening outside.

Edward watched as Jacob strode into the room like he owned the place. He headed straight for the third box placed by the foot of the bed, and it didn't take long for the ratty old penguin to emerge at his hand.

_Dammit, Mr. Pengatron, why wasn't your box placed in the front room?!_

Edward let out a long breath. With the flash drive out of his hands, he wanted nothing more than to just get back to Jasper's apartment and commence the sulk fest he could feel was coming on. He mentally willed Jacob to go, but his former best friend decided that then was a good moment to answer a text, leaving Edward stuck in the bathroom.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "Just what I wanted – a brooding party with myself at nine-thirty PM in a hos – "

Edward stopped talking as soon as he realized what he just said.

_Nine-thirty…half an hour until ten…_

_Shit, my curfew!_

His heart began to pound faster and faster as his mind raced to think of a solution. He couldn't just leave Jasper's body – not in a hospital lavatory, and definitely not with Jacob right outside. But he didn't want to know the consequence of staying past ten either.

_Why the fuck can't I manifest any ghost powers while I'm in this body? I wouldn't be having this dilemma if I could just go back to being invisible and slip out._

A moment after those words were thought, a nurse decided to enter the room. Edward could see from the narrow gap between the jamb and the door a rather portly, older woman with bright red hair tap Jacob on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, young man, but what are you doing here?" she asked, not a hint of friendliness in her tone.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Jacob Black, Edward's friend," Jacob put on his most charming smile. "Just stopped by to check on him is all."

"Visiting hours ended hours ago," the nurse informed him bluntly. "Only direct family can stay beyond that. Now if you would be so kind as to leave..."

"Oh, of course," Jacob smiled again as he held the stuffed penguin against his chest. "Have a good night."

It didn't take long for the nurse to finish her job, and once she was out the door, Edward was, too.

"That was too close," he said as he brisk walked out of the hospital. "Way too close."

Still high on the adrenaline pumping through him, he waited impatiently for a bus to arrive. For some reason, none were passing by, and after eight minutes of just standing there, Edward decided to just make a run for it. He still held the high school track record, so maybe it was the best idea.

He just hoped that Jasper's body could handle it.

…

It was nine-fifty-nine when Edward reached Jasper's apartment building, and he was tired as hell. The muscles of his legs were aching so much that he thought he might collapse, but he knew he had to keep moving.

_Maybe you can just leave Jasper here, _his brain suggested helpfully. _I mean, we're already in his building, so we know he's safe, and when he wakes up, maybe he'll just think he sleep walked out here._

While he was so tempted to take that piece of advice, Edward still pushed himself to climb the stairs.

Thirty seconds later, he was finally fumbling with the keys to the apartment, and in the next ten, he collapsed haphazardly on the sofa and hurriedly closed his eyes.

The clock just stroked ten when Edward finally managed to leave Jasper's body with a gasp. Slowly, he could feel the tiredness fade, and his usual neutral state return.

"Okay, I take it back," he announced out loud. "Escaping Jacob wasn't too close. _That _was too close."

"Ya think?"

Edward looked towards the source of the voice.

"Oh, uh, hey, Scheduler. Long time, no see!"

"Edward Cullen, you have a lot of explaining to do!"


	11. Chapter 11

"I can't believe you!" Scheduler scolded as she paced. "This is _not _okay, Edward! I thought you promised you won't do anything stupid?"

"I know, but – "

"Do you have any idea how things could have gone wrong tonight?!" she shrieked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Exactly – they _could _have gone wrong, but they didn't. Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I had to do it. You know I'd do anything to save my family from Jake and Rosalie."

Scheduler didn't say anything. She just continued to stare angrily at him, but after a while, finally caved. With a sigh, she plopped herself on the bed.

"I understand your intentions, and I admire you for it, but like I said before, stopping those two fiends isn't your priority. And then there's what you're doing to Jasper! You promised to treat him well, Edward."

"I am!" Edward insisted. He stood and showed Scheduler what was left of Jasper's delinquent notices. "See? I'm helping him with his debt. When I first got here, he had a huge stack of these. Now, he only has about…let's see here…two, three – "

"And that's great, but that wasn't what I meant," Scheduler shook her head. She kneeled next to Jasper's passed out form and pushed some hair off his face. "Look at him – he's so exhausted! There's no way he'll be able to work later, and I'm sure he'll have aching muscles – _again_ – when he wakes up. This isn't what we talked about, Ed."

Edward sighed and tugged at his hair. "I didn't mean for him to…y'know, end up like that."

"What, passed out on his miniscule couch from running around the city at night?"

"Uh, yeah. Pretty much."

"Well, it can't happen again, okay?" Scheduler looked at him expectantly. "From now on, you have to focus on your mission, too. Remember, the three tears are the most important thing for you right now."

"Alright. I promise."

"Good. I hope you mean that. And will you please be more careful – both in dealing with Jacob and Rose _and_ in meeting your curfew? Your ass would've been toast tonight if I haven't stepped in!"

"I know, I know, but I just lost – wait, what do you mean if _you_ 'haven't stepped in'?"

Scheduler raised an eyebrow and gestured to her clothes. For the first time that night, Edward noticed that she was wearing scrubs.

"You were the nurse with the red hair. The one that kicked Jacob out," he stated. "Wow, I didn't know you can shape-shift."

"It's a talent," she replied wryly. "But I can't always change form and play _deus ex machina _to whatever sticky situation you get yourself into. You were just lucky that I was on my way to check in when you got stuck in that bathroom."

"Can _I_ change form, though?"

"No, Edward, you can't."

_Darn, _Edward thought. He was hoping that maybe he had a new ability to add to his arsenal of spirit powers.

"Anyway, I have to go. Keep in mind everything we talked about tonight, and I'm begging you to please focus on getting the tears. It's why you've been given me and Jasper to help you."

Edward nodded, and Scheduler gave him a quick hug.

"You only have thirty-seven days left. Get to tear collecting, okay?"

…

The next morning, Edward was determined to keep his promise to Scheduler. Her reminder of how many days he had left certainly triggered his sense of urgency, and so, as he walked to Heaven, he thought well and hard about how to fill his cuff with the three crystals.

"I need to find people who actually care about me," he said quietly to himself. "Mom and Dad don't count, and Rose and Jacob are definitely out, so that leaves…um… God, don't I have any other frien-whoa!"

Edward's arms shot out instinctively to catch whoever he crashed into. He was surprised when Bella's wide, brown eyes looked up at him.

For a moment, the two stayed in each other's arms, simply looking at each other. Edward was beginning to lose himself in Bella's gaze when she pulled away with an awkward cough.

"Sorry," she apologized without looking at him. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Edward could see the tell-tale signs of a blush beginning to cover her cheeks and had to smile. "It's okay. And it's not completely your fault. I wasn't paying attention either."

"Where were you?" Bella blurted in reply. "Last night, I mean. I – I didn't see you when we were cleaning up."

_Crap, _Edward did a mental facepalm. He had forgotten he had responsibilities with the other staff of Heaven. Well, to be fair, what he did last night was more important than helping put away catering equipment but he still felt bad for just bolting out of the place without informing Bella.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I wasn't feeling well after we last spoke, so I just headed home. That was really, really stupid and inconsiderate on my part, and I wouldn't blame you if you fired me, but –"

"Jasper, relax," Bella smiled. She put a hand on his arm and squeezed. "I'm not going to fire you; I don't really have that kind of power. I – _we – _were just concerned when you went missing. Are you feeling better today?"

"Yeah. I just had an awful migraine last night, but I feel much better now. "

"Good. I mean, great. Um, we should probably go in now," Bella let go of his arm and fumbled her way to the café's front door.

_She's adorable, _Edward chuckled to himself and followed her into Heaven.

…

Later that day, Edward had a revelation.

He was a friendless loser.

That was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but that was certainly how he felt. Even after scouring the very depths of his memory in search of someone – anyone – that cared about him outside his family, he came up empty.

He had plenty of friends in high school, but he was about ninety-nine percent sure those people were just acquaintances who either wanted to get the popularity points that came with being 'close' with the student government president, or just wanted to sleep with him. Or maybe both.

Then in college, the only people he ever really hung out with were Jacob and Rose. There were others who would occasionally tag along in their outings, but really, those two were the only ones he did things with. He used to think that was okay since he was more focused on graduating with honors than socializing, but now, he was regretting not branching out and connecting with people more.

_This is so pathetic, _Edward groaned quietly to himself as he wiped down a table. _I'm not _that _terrible, am I? Is there really _no one _who would shed a tear for me?_

As he looked around the café, he realized that he actually could think of someone. And she was piping cupcakes by the front counter as he worked.

Esme had always described Bella as a person who loves easily and someone you can easily love, and Edward has always agreed. There was something about her quiet yet courageous nature that drew people to her even when she didn't see her effect on them, and she was always so nurturing.

Despite this, Edward wasn't sure if she still cared about him. Well, she did, to some extent, since she did rush to the hospital at first mention of his accident, but he doubted her feelings for him ran deep enough to make her cry. Why would they? From the vague pieces of information Edward had gotten from her, it was obvious that he was the reason they stopped being friends.

_Of all the people I could have been as asshole to, it just had to be Bella._

Edward sighed and wiped the table a bit too aggressively.

"Oh, this place is so cute!"

Edward looked up from his task and froze when he saw Rosalie enter Heaven. She was with another woman that Edward couldn't quite place, but he knew he'd seen her from somewhere…

"I knew you'd like it," Rose grinned. "Everything about it practically screams 'Rin' to me."

_Rin…Rin… that's right – Rosalie's roommate's named Rin. But her real name was…Irina! Yeah, that Russian girl from Rose's old sorority. _Edward felt proud of himself for finally figuring out who she was, but grimaced. That was probably another reason why he didn't have much friends; he could barely remember names and faces.

"I'd have to agree – it's just so…quaint. And warm," Irina giggled. She gazed around the space until she saw Edward. "And the staff's easy on the eyes, too!"

_Oh Jesus..._

Rosalie turned to see who Irina was referring to, and her smile widened. "Oh, yeah, that's Jasper Whitlock. We went to the same high school. Wait, I'll call him over – hey Jasper!"

_Lord, give me strength._

Edward plastered a smile on his face and begrudgingly walked over to the two women. "Good afternoon, ladies, and welcome to Heaven. Do you need a table?"

"Thanks, Jasper, and yes please," Rosalie replied. "Oh, and this is my college buddy, Irina. Irina, this is Jasper."

"It's nice to meet you," Edward said even though he's technically already met her before…or at least he thought he already did.

"You, too,"

Edward nodded politely before leading the two to a table by the window. After they ordered, he made himself scarce and prayed that someone else would take over when they were through eating.

Unfortunately, Jane was busy with the other customers, and the other waitress Carmen was nowhere to be seen. He was then consequently forced to return to the table when both plates were empty. Armed with another forced smile, Edward tried his best to sound cheerful.

"How are we doing?" 

"Everything was delish," Irina gushed. "The Alfredo was light, and your crepes are certainly to die for! I'll definitely be coming back here."

"That's great. I'm glad you like what you had. So, are we ready for the check now or – "

"Actually, I'd love to sample a cake."

_Of course you do._

"You have black forest, right"

Edward resisted the strong urge to sigh in discontent and nodded instead. He just wanted them to leave, dammit. Why did God have to make Rosalie come here? And with her annoying roommate to boot. Was this some kind of test? Because if it was, he already knew he was failing.

It didn't take long for Edward to return with a slice of black forest cake; Bella was thankfully quick in cutting him a piece, and she didn't question why he looked so pissed though her eyes betrayed her curiosity. He was about to walk away after delivering the cake, but Irina's loud moans of appreciate were too quick for him.

"Oh-ehm-gee! Rose, you have to try this! This – this is ambrosia!"

"I think I'll pass, Rin. I still have to fit into a wedding dress, remember?"

"Live a little, you've still got that rockin' model-bod," Irina nudged her playfully and happily shoved another forkful of black forest into her mouth. "This is seriously the best I've ever had. Jasper, who made this?"

"Oh, that would be our head baker, Bella," Edward grinned genuinely for the first time. "She's a prodigy when it comes to pastries, and she's a great chef, too. In fact, she even headed the catering of the Cullens' anniversary ball last night."

Irina gasped. "No way. She was the genius behind all that food? She must be some kind of food goddess!"

Edward chuckled. "She definitely is." He turned slightly to glance at the food goddess herself, and felt ridiculously pleased to see her blush even from where he was standing. Irina's loud voice certainly carried her compliments throughout the entire café.

"Omigosh, Rosie, I just had a brilliant idea. Why don't you get Bella to cater your wedding, too? I mean, she could totally pull it off if the ball last night was any indication, and – "

"I don't really think that would be a good idea," Rose interrupted. "I mean, Edward would never approve – "

"How are you so sure about what Edward would think? This food is really –"

"I just know, okay? Besides, I'm his fiancée; I know him better than anyone else does."

Edward's mood was beginning to sour fast as he stood there and listened to the two bicker. Know him better than anyone else? Oh, Rosalie, if only you really did know…

"Excuse me, but is everything okay here?"

All three heads turned to look at Bella's unassuming form. Edward wished he'd stopped the arguments sooner. They were probably disturbing Bella so much that she decided to do something about them herself.

"I'm sorry, but you were getting a bit loud, and the other customers were starting to get bothered." Sure enough, many of the patrons were glaring at the noisy table.

"Sorry," Irina murmured. "Wait, are you Bella?"

"Um, yes."

"It's so great to meet you!" the bubbly girl stood and took Bella's hand. "I'm Irina. Let me just say that your cooking is _so _good that it should be illegal. Like, seriously. You have a new loyal customer right here!"

"Yeah, I kinda overheard something like that," Bella's cheeks were reddening again. "Thank you for the kind words, but I was just the baker today – the food was all our chef's work."

"But you cooked the dishes from last night, right?"

"I…had a hand in the recipes."

"Then that still totally makes you a food goddess," Irina grinned. She glanced over at Rosalie who was silently pouting in her seat. "Oh yeah, and um, this is Rosalie, by the way."

"I know," Bella said quietly. "We went to the same high school."

"Whoa, really? That is so random! First, I meet this handsome fellow Jasper, who went to high school with Rosie, and now you too! So you guys know Edward, then."

Edward's eyes immediately went to Bella at the mention of his name. He struggled to know what she was thinking as her expression went stoic.

"It's so sad, what happened to him," Irina continued, completely oblivious to how tense the atmosphere suddenly turned. "He's such a sweet guy – he didn't deserve something so horrible to happen to him."

Bella found herself simply nodding in agreement. It was like a lump had suddenly materialized in her throat, and she couldn't speak. She cleared her throat in an attempt to get rid of it before trying to reply.

"Were you – so you guys were close?"

"Um, well, not really," Irina was inexplicably blushing now. "I mean, I knew him in college because of Rose, and we'd all hang out with Jacob sometimes, but no, I didn't really know him. He was always so nice to me, though, even though we didn't talk all that much."

"Of course you guys didn't – he was too busy with me," Rosalie suddenly stood up. To anyone else, her tone might have sounded playful, but both Bella and Edward could hear the underlying venom in her words. "Don't you remember all the times we spent locked up in my room?"

Irina giggled. "Oh, yeah. I'm telling you, guys, she and Edward were so disgustingly sweet. Ugh, I almost had diabetes from just seeing them together!"

Edward wanted nothing more at that moment than to strangle the two loud nitwits. Not just for the exaggerations they were throwing around, but for distressing Bella as well. He could see from the way her shoulders hunched and her head bowed that she was getting upset, and he wasn't having any of that anymore.

"Um, Bella, wasn't that the phone?"

"What?"

"The phone," Edward placed a hand on her shoulder. "Y'know, the one by the register. I think it just rang."

"The phone?" Bella repeated. "I didn't hear it ring."

"Huh, I'm pretty sure it did. Well, either way, it'd be safer if you checked. Maybe it was a customer who left voice mail or something. Don't worry about the bill or cleaning up – I'll handle it."

"Oh. Um, okay. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It was nice meeting you Irina, and, uh, nice seeing you again, Rosalie."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, too!"

"Yeah."

Edward smiled thankfully and began to lead Bella back to the front counter. He wrapped an arm around her until they were out of the two girls' sight.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked. He reluctantly let his arm drop.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Bella nodded though her eyes were still a bit unfocused. "Sorry about that – I just…talking about Edward really…well, I'm still not that ready to talk about it, as you can see."

"That's perfectly understandable," Edward smiled slightly. "You guys were close once, and you still care about him…right?"

"Yes, of course I still do."

Edward couldn't help but let his smile grow. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

**Thank you again to AstridGreenEyes for making manips :) You guys can check them out on her Facebook page.**


	12. Chapter 12

Rosalie lounged lazily on the slightly uncomfortable hospital arm chair. She was bored and desperately wanted to go home, but her ride was still too busy getting chatty with Esme. She wouldn't have minded so much and would have probably joined the conversation if only their topic wasn't so…off-putting.

Even nearly a decade after high school, Rosalie still didn't like talking about Bella Swan.

"She seems really sweet," Irina beamed. "A little on the quiet side, but she's nice. I mean, any other person would've probably just told Rosie and me off for making so much noise."

"Yes, Bella has always been such a sweetheart." Esme smiled.

"And she's an awesome baker, too. Her cake is just to die for. I'm going to gain, like, a hundred pounds if she keeps it up. It'd be _so _worth it, though."

Esme chuckled. "Oh, I'm well aware. Sometimes I would invite her over at our house even when Edward wasn't home just so I could bake with her. The girl's a wizard with an oven."

Rose rolled her eyes and picked at her nails. She didn't understand what the appeal that girl had that got everyone wrapped around her finger. It was annoying in high school, and it somehow became a hundred times more annoying now.

"Rin," she interrupted when she couldn't take it anymore. "I think we've hogged enough of Esme's time. Besides, we have to meet with Jacob in a few."

"You haven't monopolized my time, dear," Esme said kindly at the same time Irina exclaimed "Oh, yeah! Gosh, I totally forgot."

"Yeah," Rose gave a slight smile as she stood. "So, we should probably be on our way."

"Alright," Irina replied, standing up as well. "I'll come by again soon, Esme. It was nice talking to you!"

"You, too," Esme accepted her hug. "Are you coming back here after lunch, Rose?"

"Um, actually, Esme, I'm going to head back to the office with Jacob. There's just still so much stuff that needs to get done."

"Oh. Well, okay. Tell Jacob I said hello, won't you?"

"Sure thing. Come on, Rin, let's go."

"Just a sec," Irina tentatively stepped closer to Edward's bed. She smiled slightly and gave a wave. "Bye, Edward."

Rosalie wanted to roll her eyes, but restrained herself. Ever since Irina had read somewhere that comatose patients were still capable of hearing, she made a conscious effort to greet Edward whenever she entered or left the room.

Rose just thought that that was complete hokum. Still, she humoured her friend, and waited until she was through saying her goodbyes.

The two met Jacob in a busy restaurant near the hospital. After initial greetings passed – Rosalie and Jacob's hug lasting longer than appropriate – they all settled down for lunch.

"So, how was your morning, ladies?" Jacob asked.

"Jake, you saw in the office this morning," Rose chuckled. "We do work at the same place."

"That's right," Jacob sent a dazzling smile her way. "Sorry, I forgot. I haven't really seen or talked to you all morning. I missed you."

"Really? I figured you'd be tired of me by now. What with working together every day, always going to Edward's together…" _spending time in your bed together, the sofa, the shower…_

"Nah," Jacob shook his head, a knowing smile on his face. "Speaking of Ed, how's he doing? You passed by the hospital before coming over here, right?"

"He's doing fine," Irina answered, oblivious to the flirting. She absently twirled a lock of hair on one finger. "I mean, y'know, as fine as someone in a coma can get."

"Of course," Jacob nodded. "And how are things going with you, Rin? Rosalie mentioned you got a new modelling gig."

"Yeah, but it's really nothing," Irina shrugged. "Just for a local fashion designer."

"Rinny, I'd hardly count that as 'nothing,'" Rosalie piped in. "Lauren LeFroge is really starting to pick up some steam. I checked out her blog last night, and she has quite the following already. Plus, she's starting to get attention from the media. I'm telling you, if you become her main girl, it'll do wonders for your career."

"I guess you're right," the other girl conceded.

"Congrats, Rin," Jacob smiled. "Let's order some champagne to celebrate."

"You should really be watching your figure, though," Rose tutted. "All your talk about cake is going to ruin your chance to hit the big time."

"Hey, I'm still doing okay," Irina looked over herself. She crossed her arms over her stomach defensively. "And besides, how can I _not _talk about cake? The one over at Heaven really _is _from heaven! I'll go to the gym twice a day if I have to, but I am _so _not passing up that black forest."

"Heaven…as in, Bella Swan's Heaven?" Jacob asked.

"The very one."

"Huh. Well, I haven't tasted any cake of hers yet, but the way you're talking about it makes me want to try a slice. What do you think, Rose? Should we pass by later?"

"Ooh! I'll come with you guys!" Irina volunteered eagerly.

Rosalie wanted to hit herself on the face. Why, _why _did she have to bring up that stupid cake? All it ever led to was more talk on Bella Swan, and quite frankly, she'd had enough discussions on the girl to last a lifetime.

"We'll see," she answered Jacob. Quickly, she decided to switch topics. "And Rin, I can totally see what you're doing."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure you really…love the pastries Heaven has, but I know you're after the eye candy, too."

When Irina just continued to look at her with confusion, Rosalie's eyebrow lifted.

"Does a certain blond-haired waiter named Jasper sound familiar?"

"Oh," Irina blushed.

"Wait, Jasper Whitlock?" Jacob cut in just as the waitress arrived with their food. After she left, he continued. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Rinny's got a little crush."

"He's hot, okay?" Irina giggled despite her slight embarrassment. "C'mon, Rose, even _you _can admit he's pretty attractive."

Rosalie nodded. "He is. He was cute in high school, too."

Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Well, I don't trust him," he grunted, picking at his steak. "Something about him is just…not right."

"Oh, Jake. There's no need to be jealous. You're cute, too," Irina laughed and pinched Jacob's cheek playfully.

"It's not jealousy," Jacob insisted, though it partly was. Especially when Rosalie mentioned that she found him attractive as well. "I just…there's something off with him. He's making warning bells go off in my head."

He tried to convey to Rosalie that the 'warning bells' he was referring to had something to do with their take-over plan, but she didn't seem to get it. Now he was regretting not telling her about the hallway altercation during the anniversary ball.

"Jasper seemed pretty nice to me," Irina shrugged. "Anyway, I'm not looking for a relationship right now. He's just nice to look at."

The rest of the meal passed without any more mention of Bella and Jasper, which Rosalie and Jacob were both thankful for. A few deserts and some wine later, the group went their separate ways.

"I was serious about not trusting Whitlock," Jacob said after Irina left. He and Rosalie were about to leave for the firm in his car.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Rose asked. She was usually the one who was so wary of people, and Jasper didn't raise any red flags for her.

"I," Jacob took a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't tell you this before because I figured I'd handle it by myself, but I think you need to know."

"Just spit it out, Jake."

"There was a…an incident with me and Whitlock back at the ball."

"Incident? What happened?"

"He knows something's up, Rose," Jacob turned to face her. "It seemed suspicious to me that he was just hanging around the place where we both were, so I told him to mind his own business. Next thing I knew, he was saying things like 'at least I'm not taking over someone else's business.' He knows about the plan, or at least part of it."

"What?" Rosalie scoffed. "That's impossible. How the hell would he know? The discussion we had in that balcony was too vague, and unless he's got us bugged, there would be no way for him to know anything."

"Then how would you explain the whole 'taking over someone's business' thing? He couldn't have just said that at random."

"Who's to say he hasn't? He was probably just looking for a button to push, and since you probably gave a reaction, he found the right one. I'd do the same if someone just tells me to fuck off and mind my own business for no reason."

"Are you defending him?" Jacob asked, anger and incredulity coloring his tone. "He can potentially ruin everything, and you're defending him? Are you even serious about our plan?"

"How dare you," Rosalie growled. "In case you forgot, Jacob, _I'm_ the one who came up with it, and _I'm _the one who has a bigger motive here. I will do _anything_ to make sure everything goes accordingly."

Jacob wasn't perturbed by her growing anger. "If that's the case, then why aren't you concerned? Whitlock can be a threat!"

"Because there's nothing to be concerned over! You're just being paranoid."

Jacob opened his mouth to answer back, but was cut off when Rosalie suddenly launched herself on his lap. Her lips collided with his at the same time his hands began to wander.

Needless to say, they made it back to the firm an hour after the lunch break ended.

…

Edward always thought he was a person who could always find a way to crack a problem, but as he lay on Jasper's bed, he was beginning to question that.

He was utterly out of ideas. No matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn't think of anyone who could help him fill the recesses of his cuff. Well, except for Bella, but he still wasn't sure about that.

Despite her confession of still caring, Edward struggled with the idea of her giving him his first tear. It just seemed…wrong to make someone as sweet as Bella cry. There was the issue of _how _to make her cry, too.

Then, as if all of that wasn't enough, the weather was absolutely freezing as well.

"Dammit," Edward cursed as he rolled off the bed. It was Saturday – his day off from Heaven – so he decided to just stick around Jasper's apartment. The place wasn't outfitted with a heating system, unfortunately, so Edward was left shivering in his not-so-warm clothes.

After a few seconds of standing on the cold wood floor, Edward decided to just wear one of Jasper's winter coats. It may be ridiculous, but it was better than turning into a human Popsicle, he thought.

He thoroughly dug through the wardrobe and chest of drawers, but the only coat he came across with was an old trench which has seen better days.

"Jeez, Jasper, how the hell do you survive," he asked, running a hand through the worn fabric. "I guess we can add heater and winter coats to the list of things I'm getting you after all this is over. For now, though, we'll have to think of something else to keep warm. If only I had my own coats here…"

A light bulb went off in Edward's head as he hatched an idea. Maybe he could sneak over his own place and take his coats and warmer clothes with him. After all, taking your own things didn't count as stealing, right?

Satisfied with his plan, Edward got dressed and made his way to his condo. It felt like a lifetime had passed since he last saw the building, so he was excited to go back home even just for a little while.

Once he arrived, he tried to think of how he was going to get in. He knew that a random guy just walking in wouldn't be allowed past the front desk without being questioned.

Luck seemed to be by his side, though, since an opportunity to get in presented itself through a large group was about to enter the building. Acting as naturally as he could, Edward went with the small crowd until they got off at the fifth floor. He continued to ride the elevator until his own floor – the tenth – was reached.

_It's a good thing this place uses digital locks, _Edward thought as he entered his code. _I'd be screwed if an actual key is needed._

When his code was confirmed and the light on the lock turned green, he was finally permitted to enter his condo.

_Home sweet home._

Edward was sorely tempted to dance around the familiar surroundings for hours just out of the pure joy of being there, but he decided to just get what he needed and leave. He didn't want to risk anyone walking in and seeing him, though that was highly unlikely.

After packing enough winter clothes to last a few months into a large duffel bag, Edward decided to get a couple of snacks as well. Jasper's pantry wasn't really well-stocked, and he missed Froot Loops so badly. Deciding that taking some cereal boxes wasn't going to hurt anybody, he headed to the kitchen only to step on a small, plastic object by his desk.

At first, he thought it might be a Lego minifig or something, but after lifting his foot, Edward found a familiar white flash drive with a broken key ring. He tried to place where he'd seen it before, and he remembered that it was the USB Jacob always used in college.

Could it also be where his and Rosalie's evil plans were stored?

**10 days of nonstop exams + existential crisis + mild depression = short, late update. So sorry about that.**


	13. Chapter 13

For a long time, Edward simply stared at the flash drive. It was like his brain was refusing to reconcile what he found with what had happened. He knew that he had missed his opportunity to get to Mr. Pengatron first, but Jacob's USB was currently in his hand.

Was the drive on his floor for no reason, or did they stuff the wrong one into the penguin?

Edward was going to find out.

Dropping the duffel on the floor, he hurriedly booted his laptop and plugged the device in. It didn't take long for autoplay to load, and as soon as Edward saw some of the files, he knew for sure that the USB was Jacob's.

The smattering of documents and pictures seemed pretty random – mostly vacation pictures and some saved articles about the stock market – but one folder in particular stuck out like a sore thumb. It was labelled 'Rose', and inside it were multiple Excel files.

"What are you trying to pull, Jacob?" Edward muttered to himself as his eyes browsed over worksheet after worksheet. All of them were named innocently enough, but Edward had a feeling that there was something more sinister brewing inside the files, especially when they all looked like financial statements of the firm.

His suspicion grew stronger when he tried to open one, and then another, and a password was asked by the program both times.

Edward was both elated and frustrated by his discovery. He was happy that Jacob and Rose hadn't gotten their hands on what seemed like an important part of their plan, and that he had potential tangible proof of their treachery, but at the same time, the passwords were pissing him off. If he didn't figure out how to get past them, then his proof would have no bearing.

For the next half hour, Edward tried every single password he could think of. Jacob's birthday, Rosalie's birthday, their old address in college…even the name of Jacob's old school crush. None of them worked, and after about thirty tries, Edward had to throw the towel in. For now, anyway.

"Great," Edward grumbled before shutting his laptop off. He pulled at his hair and took a deep breath. Perhaps he couldn't access anything for now, but he certainly wasn't going to give up; he would hack every single document if he had to.

He left his condo not too soon after with his duffel bag over his shoulder and the USB in his pocket. He debated over taking his laptop with him as well, but decided that that might be a bit too obvious.

He wondered about what he was going to use to get into the files, though.

Nevertheless, Edward felt a lot better about his situation when he went to work the next day. Well, he still wasn't any closer to getting a tear, but there was progress with the whole Rose and Jacob situation, at least.

"Hey, Jas!"

Edward placed his tray down as he looked over at Jane. He had just finished cleaning a table when she called his name.

"What's up?"

"Can you do me a favour?" she asked, her best puppy dog look on her face.

"Uh…depends on what that favour would be."

"Oh, relax, it's nothing complicated," Jane rolled her eyes. "I just need you to get this tray up to Bella."

Edward was all ears now. "Sure, I can do that. Where is she?"

"She's staying in the room above the café," Jane pointed a finger to the ceiling. "You can just take the stairs over there. Bossman asked me to bring her some lunch, but my boy Felix is waiting for me out back. Soooo if you could just give it to her for me…"

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Edward responded a little too eagerly. He didn't care though; he hadn't seen Bella all morning, and he wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to do so.

"Awesomesauce! Later, Jazzy. I owe you one!" Jane blew him a kiss before running off. Edward chuckled as he lifted the tray of tomato soup and grilled cheese, and walked up the stairs.

He tentatively knocked on the solitary door he saw once he reached the second floor. When it got no response, he knocked again with much more force. "Bella?" he called softly. "Bella, it's Ed-Jasper."

It didn't take long for Edward to hear some activity from the other side of the door. He heard the sound of a chair scraping, the quiet padding of feet, and after a second's pause, the creaking noise of the door as it slowly opened.

"Jasper?" Bella asked as her face came into view. She looked so sad that Edward wanted to just drop the tray and hug her.

"Hi," he said, a small smile gracing his lips. "I, uh, I brought you some lunch." He gestured to the food with a nod.

"Lunch?" Bella blinked uncomprehendingly. "Oh. Lunch. Right, um, thank you."

"Are you okay?" Edward blurted. "I'm sorry – it's just, you don't look so well."

"I'm fine," she replied unconvincingly. She tried to take the tray from his hands, but he tightened his grip on it.

"Are you, really?"

Bella was about to give an affirmative answer, but upon glancing at Edward's concern-filled eyes, she hung her head and shook it instead.

"Do you want to talk about it? I mean, you don't have to, but…I'm a good listener, and…just…you might feel better afterwards. Probably. I mean – "

"Jasper," Bella's soft voice interrupted his rambling. "I…thank you. Um, would you like to come in?"

Edward nodded quickly, and stepped forward as Bella gave way.

The apartment he entered was a little small for his taste, but Edward found it to be very homey and warm. Most of the furniture looked like they came from garage sales, yet they all worked together. Looking around, everything just seemed so…Bella.

Edward put the tray down on the coffee table as Bella sat down on the small couch. He followed her lead and turned to face her.

"What's wrong?" he asked once he finished debating over what to say.

In lieu of a reply, Bella suddenly folded over herself and started to sob.

Edward didn't even think about what he did next. Without an ounce of hesitation, he pulled her body to him in a hopefully comforting embrace.

"Bella, what is it?" he asked as soothingly as he could.

"I…m-my," Bella paused to hiccup. "My mom…"

_I should have known, _Edward thought angrily. For as strong and independent as Bella was, Renee was the straw that always broke her back.

"Hey. Hey, it's okay," he rubbed her arm just like he used to whenever Bella would break down over the woman. "You're okay."

"No, I'm not. I'm really not," she sobbed.

"What did she do?"

"She has a daughter," Bella wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Another one. W-With her new husband. She called – this morning, she called and said that she w-wanted me to meet her. That she was sorry for l-leaving, and she's happy now. Why couldn't she be h-happy with me, Jasper? What's wrong with me?!"

Bella's cries grew louder, and Edward crushed her closer to his body. He felt so much for her hurt and sadness that he almost shed a tear himself.

"Shh, shh. No, Bella. No," he whispered against her hair. "There's nothing wrong with you, sweet girl."

"Then w-why aren't I ever enough? Everyone always leaves or r-replaces me. My dad, my mom, and E-Ed…"

_Edward, _Edward finished for her in his head. _She was going to say Edward._

_God, Cullen, what the fuck did you do?_

He wished he could answer his own question, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall ever 'replacing' Bella. Hell, he couldn't recall what had happened to them in the first place.

"You're not replaceable, Bella," Edward said with as much conviction he could muster, stopping her blubbering.

"I am," Bella insisted against his shoulder. "I'm no one special. Mom got a new daughter – a better daughter, and Edward…"

"What did he do, Bella?" Edward asked as he braced himself for the truth he so desperately wanted to know. "What did Edward do to you?"

"He chose Rosalie," she whispered. "I was there for him, but he still chose Rosalie. I-I wasn't enough, and I never will be."

_He chose Rosalie…_

_I chose Rosalie._

_Over her._

Shock, understanding, and sadness overwhelmed Edward as Bella's confession sunk in. How could he have missed it? The distance, the broken connection between them…it all began when Rosalie became his girlfriend.

God, why did he have to be such a blind idiot? What person in their right mind would turn away from the kind, compassionate, and headstrong Bella for someone as vapid and treacherous as Rosalie? Why didn't he ever see her true self? Edward wished so much then that he could go back in time to correct his mistakes.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he choked, burying his head on her shoulder. "So, so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Bella asked. "None of this is your fault, Jasper."

_It is, _Edward wanted to tell her. _I'm so sorry for being the world's biggest asshole. You didn't deserve to go through what you did, especially when your mother and supposed best friend were the reasons why you had to._

Lifted his head, Edward pulled back and looked Bella straight in the eyes. He tucked the hair framing her face behind her ear and reached down to hold her hands.

"Bella," he began. He paused to steady his slightly shaking voice. "You…you are someone special. What happened with your mom, and…Edward…they were idiots. All of them – fools. I – Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life. You're _not _replaceable, and I'm sure that if, if they were given the chance to take everything they did to you back, they would."

Bella's answering smile was still tinged with sadness, but Edward was happy that he could make up for what he did to her, even just a little bit. She rested her forehead on his shoulder again and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Jasper," she whispered.

Instead of replying, Edward stroked her hair and absently began to hum the lullaby he'd written for her years ago. It had been a while since he's played or heard it, but he could still remember the melody clearly.

Bella faced him again after the first few notes resonated from his lips. Her expression was that of confusion, like she was trying to remember where she's heard the tune before.

_It's me, Bella, _Edward hungered to say as she stared at him. _It's Edward, and I'm sorry._

The two continued to look at each other for what seemed like a long stretch of time. Edward hadn't realized that he had leaned toward Bella so much that their faces were only inches apart, but he couldn't bring himself to pull back. In fact, he actually craved the closeness – to keep her in his arms, to press his lips against hers…

"Bella?"

Both Edward and Bella leaned back suddenly, and looked at the door.

"Bella, have you seen Jasper?" Knocking ensued. "Jane said she can't find him anywhere."

"Yeah," Bella tried to call out after a second to collect herself. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah, Aunt Charlotte. He's, um, he's in here."

"Oh. Good, that's great. So he's delivered your lunch, honey?"

"I…yeah, he has."

"Okay. Well, can you tell him to head back downstairs, now? Lunch rush is starting, so we need all hands on deck."

Bella nodded though Charlotte couldn't see, and turned to Edward. "They need you down there."

"Yeah," Edward agreed a little dazedly. He still wasn't quite over what had almost happened between them.

"Thanks again, Jasper. For…everything."

"It's really no problem," Edward smiled. "And I'm sorry, again."

"You shouldn't be."

Edward simply shrugged. Reluctantly, he let go of her hands, and ambled out of her apartment.

…

"I don't know what's happening to me," Jasper rubbed his tired eyes. "I just…I don't get it, Alice."

"It could just be stress," Alice suggested as she idly swivelled her chair. "You do have two jobs that you attend to practically every single day. Perhaps the pressure's making you have memory lapses, though that seems pretty unlikely. And kinda bizzare."

"Yeah, it sounds crazy," Jasper said as he fisted his cleaning towel. He was beginning to get concerned with his random moments of amnesia. When he woke up earlier for his shift at the diner, he found himself wearing a new coat, and after looking through his closet, he discovered that he had even more of them. His pantry was uncharacteristically full of snacks as well.

His money didn't seem to be depleted, though, so that could only mean that he probably stole everything. That was really worrying, but it made him wonder how he got to them so easily. Surely anyone who owned Dior and Chanel clothing would keep them safe and secure. Maybe someone gave them to him…but that seemed even more improbable.

"Well, if you need any help, I'm always here," Alice reached over to pat his hand. "Like if you want to pay the hospital a visit. Maybe a hypnotherapy session would do you some good."

"We'll see," Jasper smiled and squeezed her fingers. "Thanks for the offer, though."

Alice beamed at him. "That's what friends are for."

"Friends?" Jasper asked, his tone tinted with hope.

"Of course," she replied. "Why? Don't you consider me as one?"

"No! I mean, of course I do," Jasper quickly recovered. "Yeah. We're friends."

"That's good," Alice chuckled. "I was starting to worry that maybe our relationship was one-sided."

No, but Jasper's crush on her probably was.

**Hope this makes up for the previous chapter! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

Bella was confused.

Completely and utterly confused.

As she sat on her couch, she still couldn't fully register what had just happened – it was like everything got muddled. All she knew was that after Renee made the fateful phone call, she was a mess and didn't feel like working for the day. Charlotte understood, at least, and allowed her to spend the morning holed up in her tiny apartment.

Bella knew her aunt was concerned, and would probably just send her meals intermittently throughout the day, but she didn't expect to see Jasper Whitlock's concerned face at the door.

She wasn't sure how to explain it, but just the way he looked at her made her want to tell him everything that was plaguing her. And that's exactly what she did.

Bella was never much of a crier, but being in Jasper's arms just made her feel like she could just…release everything and not suffer any judgement. She hadn't felt like that in a long time, and even on the rare moments when she did, it was just with a certain Edward Cullen.

That's where a majority of Bella's confusion stemmed from.

Somehow, she felt like she was back in Edward's arms when Jasper held her. The way he offered comfort was also reminiscent of how Edward used to, and the familiar melody he hummed…

Bella groaned and buried her face in her hands. She was losing her mind trying to figure out what was happening in her life, and to top it off, she was also starting to get confused with her feelings towards Jasper.

His sweetness, his kindness, his genuine concern for her…all of these were making her have deeper feelings for him. And though she didn't know him all that well, she felt like she knew him, and he knew her.

Hell, she'd avoided even the slightest bit of romantic contact with men since high school, and yet she almost kissed the man not five minutes ago!

Bella's head snapped up as if that fact only made itself known to her then.

_Holy crap. _

_I almost kissed Jasper._

And Jasper probably would have let her if the way he was inclining his head was any indication.

Suddenly, a rush of guilt twisted Bella's stomach. It was irrational, she knew, but somehow, she felt like she was betraying Edward with Jasper.

"Don't be stupid," she mumbled to herself, rubbing her tired eyes. "Edward's engaged to someone else. It's not like you cheated on him."

But it certainly felt like she did.

A knock on her door stopped Bella from further agonizing over her predicament. Charlotte came through without waiting to be let in, an understanding smile gracing her face.

"Hey Bellsie."

"Aunt Charlotte," Bella's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Um, is there anything you need help with? Are we short-staffed again?"

"No, no. Everything's going fine down there," Charlotte reassured, shutting the door. She sat next to Bella and wrapped around her shoulders.

"How're you doing?"

"Better," Bella replied honestly. "Mo – Ren – uh, the call just…I wasn't expecting it, but I'm better now."

"I'm glad," Charlotte hugged her tighter for a second. "I hope you know that you never deserved her treatment, Bella. You're a sweet girl and any parent would love to have you as a daughter. You know your uncle and I would."

"Yeah," Bella responded. Her aunt's words were too similar to Jasper's that she didn't know what else to say. "Thanks. I realize that now."

The room became quiet for a while, the faint noises from the café downstairs being the only sound until Charlotte sighed and removed her arm from Bella's shoulders.

"Bella," she began. "I actually came up here to ask you something."

"Oh. What is it?"

"What's going on between you and Jasper?"

When Bella didn't say anything, she continued. "It's not that I'm trying to pry, but it just seemed like I interrupted something when I asked him to go back downstairs. Is there something there or…?"

"I…I don't know," Bella said honestly. "I'm still kinda trying to find the answer to that myself. I'm just so confused, Aunt Charlotte. I'm starting to…_like _him, but…with Edward, it's just…"

"You feel like you're cheating on him."

"Yes!" Bella exclaimed. She was glad she had shared what had happened with her and Edward before. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm feeling. And it's just stupid! Edward's with Rosalie now, and it's not like he ever liked me that way."

"You still love him," Charlotte stroked her hair. "It's only natural that you'll feel that way."

"Yeah, I do," Bella didn't bother denying it. "I…this is going to sound strange, but I see a lot of Edward in Jasper, like the way he talks to me, and the way that we just…click. Do you think that's all in my head, or is there…I don't know, something else?"

The older woman sighed. "I don't know, honey. But I'm sure everything will work out in the end, no matter if it's with Jasper _or_ Edward. You deserve that happiness."

Bella sincerely hoped that was true.

…

Edward held his phone to his ear as he stood idly outside Heaven after his shift. He had tried calling Scheduler four times already, but his diminutive guardian wasn't picking up.

He just wanted someone to talk to. Was that too much to ask?

Everything was so fucked up in his world. Aside from having to possess someone else's body every single day, an evil fiancée planning to destroy his family, a treacherous best friend, and a host who barely had anything to help him, he now had Bella to deal with as well.

Well, not Bella per se, but more like what he felt about her.

He had no idea what he was supposed to think or do. Bella's confession about him 'replacing' her with Rosalie stabbed him straight in the heart, and it looked like it also opened a vault of emotions inside of him, making him feel things he shouldn't be towards a person who was supposed to be just a friend.

For short, Edward needed some advice. Stat. And who better to give it than the opinionated, blunt and slightly annoying Scheduler?

If only she would answer her phone.

"Why are girls like this?!" Edward muttered angrily as he shoved the device into his pocket. "Call me any time, she said. I'll help you, she said. So much for _that!_"

"Whoa, easy there, buddy."

Edward turned his head to tell the bystander off, but was instead surprised to see a familiar face.

"Newton?"

"What?"

"Newton. Mike Newton, right?"

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?"

"Mike, it's me – Jasper. From high school?" Edward looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, yeah," Realization finally dawned on Mike after a moment passed. "Whitlock, right? That guy Angela Weber used to have a crush on."

Edward had no idea what he was talking about, but just decided to go with it. "Uh, yeah. That's me…I think. It's great to see you again."

"You, too," Mike held his hand out for a shake. "I didn't know you live in Chicago now. Seems like it's been forever since school, huh?"

"I know what you mean," Edward said. "A lot's changed since then."

"Tell me about it."

"So, what about you? I didn't know you lived here now either."

"Well, how would you? It's not like we ever kept in touch or anything. Hell, you barely spoke to anyone back then," Mike snorted. "Sorry, that was rude. And yeah, I'm in Chicago permanently now thanks to my _wife_."

Sensing some contempt in his tone, Edward tried to lighten the mood. "You're married? Congrats, man."

"Trust me, that's nothing to be happy about."

"Oh. Uh, well, I'm…sorry?"

"Don't be. It was my own doing." Mike shook his head. "Take it from me, Jasper. Don't ever marry a woman if you aren't a hundred percent sure you love her. Because in the end, you'll end up like me – hurting yourself with a loveless marriage or hurting your kids with parents who fight all the time."

Edward nodded in total agreement. "Yeah, I hear you."

"Good. Always keep that in mind," Mike said before sighing. "Well, I better go. My wife just sent me out here to pick up some meringue or macaroons or whatever the shit she ordered." He jabbed a thumb at Heaven. "And if I don't get back before dinner, I'll get another earful."

After Mike walked away, Edward looked up at the sky.

_Are You trying to tell me something? _he asked. _Because if You are, message received. Thanks for letting me see Rosalie's true colors before I got to marry her._

His conversation with the Big Guy Upstairs was interrupted when a pink scooter pulled up near the sidewalk.

"Hey!" the rider called out. Edward was confused as to who she was talking to until he realized that the lady was actually Scheduler. He approached her just as she tossed a helmet at him.

"Get on," she commanded.

"What are you doing here?" Edward asked as he dutifully wore the neon pink safety gear. In any other scenario, he probably would have insisted that he didn't need it, but he knew better than to incur Scheduler's nagging.

"Well, I assumed you wanted to talk after leaving me four missed calls," Scheduler said, her tone wry. "So, we're gonna talk. Not here, though."

"Okay," Edward mounted the scooter's back seat without argument. "What's with the…vehicle of choice, by the way? And can people see you right now?"

"I've always wanted a pink Vespa," Scheduler replied simply as she took off. "And yes, people can see, but as far as they're concerned, I'm just some cute girl riding an equally as cute scooter. Oh wait, I _am _a cute girl riding a cute scooter!" She giggled and proceeded to speed up.

Edward rolled but didn't say anything else. He wished she would've chosen something a little more badass – he could just imagine how a six-foot tall man looked on such a girly little ride – but he wasn't going to complain.

He'd willingly ride a sparkly unicorn if it meant he could finally talk to someone.

"So, what's bothering you?" Scheduler asked when they reached Jasper's apartment. "I assume that your calls weren't made because you wanted to gossip."

"No, they weren't," Edward agreed. He sat down on the small sofa. "I'm just at a loss, Sched."

"What happened?"

And so, Edward recounted everything that happened that day as Scheduler listened attentively. Her expressions changed accordingly as the story progressed, but she didn't say anything even when he was finished talking.

"So?" Edward demanded. "Don't you have some kind of opinion on any of this? I kinda need some advice right now."

"Well, Ed, it seems to me like you're in love with her."

Edward gave a short laugh. "Oh c'mon."

"I'm serious!" Scheduler stood, hands on her hips. "You said it yourself – what you're feeling for Bella goes beyond the borders of friendship."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm in love with her! We've only reconnected, for goodness' sake. Maybe it's just a…a crush."

"A crush," Scheduler repeated dryly. "Oh, yeah, sure, Edward. It's just a _crush._"

"I mean, she used to be my best friend. And she's just so…nice. And warm. And beautiful. And – "

"She's the most perfect girl in the world," Scheduler finished for him. "And that's exactly why you love her."

Edward groaned and hit his head on the wall behind him. "Do you think I'm only feeling this way about her because I feel guilty for how I treated her? Or because she's the anti-thesis of Rosalie?"

"Both are possible, but I think it's deeper than that. After all, you _have _known Bella for a long time. Perhaps this is just your long buried feelings for her finally surfacing."

"I don't know what to do now, Sched."

"Focus on getting back to your real body," Scheduler said. "Face it, okay. You'll never really be with Bella while you're still in Jasper's body. Once you get three tears and wake up, then you can break up with Rosalie, and get with her."

"But it's so difficult finding someone to cry for me!" Edward complained. "Aside from my parents – who don't count – I don't think there's anyone else out there who loves me enough to shed a tear."

"Don't be so sure about that, Ed. Your feelings aren't unrequited, after all."

It took Edward a second to process that. "What, you're telling me that Bella loves me, too? Even after what I did to her?"

Scheduler smiled widely. "So you _do _admit you love her."

"That's not – I didn't – fuck. Okay, maybe I sorta…_do _love her. But even if she returned the sentiment, I can't make her cry over me! And don't you think she would've done that by now, anyway?"

"Well, didn't you ever think that maybe Bella's sorting out her feelings for you, too? I mean, the girl's bound to be hella confused."

"Why?"

"Need I remind you that you're not exactly Edward Cullen to the rest of the world?" Scheduler gestured at his body from head to toe. "Bella's probably trying to figure out if she _like_-likes Jasper Whitlock right now."

Edward jumped up from his seat. "But I don't want her to fall in love with Jasper!"

"So get back to your own freakin' body and make her fall in love with _you,_" Scheduler poked him on the chest for emphasis. "Or make her fall in love with you more, I should say. Whatever. You get the point."

"Everything is so messed up," Edward rubbed his face.

"All of it can be solved if you just – "

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try harder to get the tears," Edward grumbled.

"You can do it," Scheduler encouraged. "You're a good person, Edward. Remember that other people love and care for you, too."

Edward doubted that, but the next morning, he found out just how true that statement was.

After he had possessed Jasper's body, Edward felt incredibly sluggish and weak. It was like his body weighed a ton, and his head pounded so furiously that he could barely get out of bed.

"God, this is terrible," he groaned as he tried to stand up. It was a challenge, and all he wanted was to go back to sleep, but he knew he needed to call in sick at Heaven first; he didn't want to get fired and not see Bella anymore.

He managed to make it to the narrow hallway outside Jasper's apartment where a phone was available. As soon as he let Charlotte know that he wasn't going to be in for the day, he stumbled back to bed and curled up under the covers.

Edward let Jasper sleep for a while as he contemplated calling Scheduler again. She was going to be pissed that he let his host get sick, but what else could he do? He was just about to do that when he heard a timid knock on the door followed by a soft voice saying "Jasper?"

It was Bella.

"Shit," Edward scrambled to possess Jasper's body once more. The heaviness and pounding headache returned, but he didn't care. He had to let Bella in.

"It's me, Bella. Um, Aunt Charlotte told me you were sick," Bella continued as Edward tried to get out of bed for the second time that morning. "You were so helpful to me yesterday, so I thought I'd…help you out, too."

Edward had the door open before she could finish her sentence. She looked like a goddess standing there and he probably looked as crappy as he felt, but Bella smiled anyway and lifted a brown bag.

"I got you some soup and some other stuff," she said. "Can I come in?"

Edward he nodded eagerly and let her pass.

_Maybe Scheduler was right, _he thought. _Maybe she loves me, too._

**Fun Fact: Pure Love (the show this story is based on) aired its final episode yesterday. All I can say is, I'm glad Filipinos love happily ever after's.**


	15. Chapter 15

"How're you feeling?" Bella asked after she entered. She set her bag on the small dining table.

"I've had worse," Edward tried to laugh, but his headache chose that moment to pound harder. He groaned as he sat on the bed.

"What's wrong?"

"Headache," he replied, rubbing his face. "I think I have a fever."

Bella placed a hand on his forehead and gasped. "You're burning up! Have you taken any medicine, or done…well, anything?"

"No," he admitted as she helped him lie down. "I just woke up and went back to sleep, really."

"Do you want to take paracetamol, or just…try and sweat it out?"

"'Cetamol's fine," Edward mumbled. Honestly, he didn't care either way; he just wanted to sleep.

It took Bella a moment to retrieve the painkiller and a glass of water, and when she returned to the bed, Edward tried his best to swallow everything without gagging or making a mess.

"That should make you feel better in a bit," Bella placed the blanket over him. "Are you warm enough?"

"'M fine," Edward yawned as he blinked drowsily. Before his eyes drifted closed, he spotted Scheduler standing by the door with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

…

Edward left Jasper's body as soon as his host was deeply asleep. He could hear Bella fussing around the tiny kitchen – probably preparing his soup – but instead of watching her like he wanted, he dutifully approached Scheduler instead.

"Really, Edward?" she asked. "I thought we agreed that you'd care for him?"

"I'm sorry," Edward apologized for what felt like the nth time since he began his fifty-day journey. "But in my defense, this was kinda inevitable. I mean the guy works two jobs, practically never takes a day off, and he barely has anything to keep him warm or fed.

"Plus, I don't control him all the time. But when I do, I always make sure he gets something filling to eat and stuff."

Scheduler sighed, but she could admit that he was telling the truth. Ever since Edward began borrowing his body, Jasper's eating habits had improved thanks to Edward's unchanged appetite, and because of Edward's recent visit to his condo, he had more clothes as well.

"I suppose you have a point," she conceded. "I just...I don't like it when something happens to him. It doesn't seem fair that he has to bear burdens like this when they aren't really his fault."

"I'll try to help him better," Edward promised. "Even after all of this is over, I'll help him."

Scheduler smiled. "That's good to hear," she said. She moved to Jasper's bedside, and pushed some hair out of his face.

"He's starting to sweat, at least."

Edward exhaled in relief. "Okay. That's great. The painkiller Bella gave must be doing its job."

As if she was just reminded of the presence of another person, Scheduler angled her body so she could see Bella. Her grin widened, and she turned to Edward.

"So? What did I tell ya?"

Edward couldn't help but grin back. "Yeah, yeah," he replied sheepishly as he sat on the couch. A sudden thought entered his mind then, and his smile dropped.

"But," he said. "What if...what if Bella's not really here for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if she's here for –for him," Edward pointed to Jasper. In a flash, he was standing up again and pacing. "You said it yourself – she's probably confused as fuck about what she's feeling. Or for whom her feelings are for. What if she's really here because she likes Jasper?"

"Okay, okay, easy," Scheduler gripped his arm. "First of all, you need to calm down before you have an aneurysm."

"Can spirits even have aneurysms?"

"Second," Scheduler ignored the question. "You can't know that for sure. Yes, it's Jasper's face and voice that Bella sees and hears, but it's still _your_ words and your actions that come through."

"See, that's just it," Edward threw his hands up. "It may be my personality, but it's still _Jasper _that the rest of the world sees. Bella probably just thinks Jasper and I are alike, and since _he _wasn't a massive dickwad to her in high school, she chose him."

Edward collapsed on the couch again and rubbed his eyes. "God, what is happening?! What am I supposed to do?"

Scheduler rolled her eyes. "For pizza's sake, Ed. Pull yourself together and stop assuming things! You're not a mind reader, alright? Quit making presumptions about what's going on in Bella's brain."

"But how can I not?" Edward replied. "I just hate that I was such a douchecanoe towards her. If I wasn't such a blind idiot, maybe I could have avoided the whole mess with Rosalie and Bella and I would be...together."

"Okay, look," Scheduler took a deep breath. She kneeled in front of Edward, and tried to meet his eyes. "You can regret all that you want and think about all your shoulda-coulda-woulda's, but you still can't change anything about the past. What you _can _change is the future. Even if Bella – and I'm in no way saying that this is true – _likes _Jasper that way, you can still win her back once you get back to your own body.

"Just...don't start dooming yourself already, 'kay? Focus on your mission, and everything'll fall into place."

Scheduler's words had its desired calming effect. Edward smiled gratefully at his guardian. "Thanks, Sched. I reallyneeded to hear that."

"No problem."

Everything was relatively silent for a while until Scheduler let out a giggle.

"'Douchecanoe'? Really, Ed?"

"What? Jane says it a lot. It kinda stuck."

Scheduler began to laugh again until the clang of metal hitting the linoleum floor rang out. It turned out to be the spoon Bella accidentally dropped while she tried carrying a bowl of soup towards the bed. Not bothering to pick it up, Bella placed the bowl on Jasper's bedside table and softly began to shake him.

It took a second for Edward to realize that she was trying to wake him up.

"Uh, you might want to get back to Jasper now," Scheduler suggested when she became aware of what was happening as well.

"Shit," Edward muttered as he rushed to Jasper's body. Luckily, he managed to possess him before his host became awake.

"Hey," Bella greeted when Edward opened his eyes. Her smile was too glorious for him not to return it.

"It's almost lunch time so I figured you'd be hungry," she continued as Edward tried to sit up. He felt better than the last time he took over Jasper's body, but he was just so uncomfortably hot.

"Oh gosh, I forgot to ask. How're you feeling?"

"I'm hot," Edward grumbled. He tried to open his coat, but was sufficiently hindered by its large buttons.

"You're sweating a waterfall," Bella murmured, pushing his hands away and working the toggles more efficiently. Despite his bad shape, Edward couldn't help the dirty thoughts that flew to his brain as Bella undressed him. Well, she was just removing his coat, but she was undressing him all the same.

"There," she grinned triumphantly when she managed to get him out of the garment. "I guess you'll need a change in shirt, too, huh?"

Edward looked down and saw his shirt darkened with sweat stains. "Yeah, that would be a good idea."

"Here," Bella slowly handed him the bowl of soup. "You can go ahead and start eating – it's tortilla soup, by the way – and I'll go find you a shirt. I mean, if you don't mind me going through your clothes, of course."

"Bella, it's no problem," Edward chuckled. "Go right ahead. It's all in the wardrobe."

As Bella dug through Jasper's meagre clothes, Edward sampled the warm broth she prepared. He almost groaned in pleasure and nostalgia as soon as the flavors hit his tongue – Bella's tortilla soup was just as good as he remembered.

He had taken about ten spoonfuls of the stuff when he noticed that Bella had yet to return with his promised shirt. Glancing over to the wardrobe, Edward saw her standing in front of its open doors. They blocked his view, unfortunately, so he couldn't gauge her facial expression.

_What could she possibly be seeing in there that's so special? _he thought. _Heh, maybe she discovered Narnia._

_Or maybe she's awed by Jasper's total lack of clothing._

_Shut up, Bella doesn't judge like that._

Edward watched and waited for her to move or do anything, but she just continued to stand and…stare? He wasn't so sure. Finally, when his curiosity got the better of him, he called out her name.

"Bella?"

"Wh-oh, sorry!" Bella jumped at the sound of his voice. She quickly grabbed something inside the wardrobe, and returned to him with a grey shirt.

She handed it to him with a slight shake in her hands. "I – um – let me take that," she took the bowl and placed it on the bedside table. He noticed that her voice had changed, and she wouldn't look him in the eyes. "Do you need me to leave so you can change or – "

"It's fine, it's fine," Edward assured. He was bewildered at the sudden change of her demeanor, but he didn't let it show. "I can do it in the bathroom."

"Are you sure you can walk?"

"Bells, it's alright. It's not like I'm crippled or anything. Besides, I think I'll take a quick shower while I'm at it," he ran a hand through his wet hair as he stood up. "The sweaty look doesn't exactly suit me."

Bella's responding laugh was a pitch higher than normal and sounded weird, but Edward just let it go. He figured she was embarrassed from probably thinking of him changing or taking a shower.

_Oh Bella. Too modest for your own good sometimes._

…

Despite being a little out of it for the rest of her stay with him, Bella was still great company and helpful when Jasper's fever made a comeback. Edward hated seeing her leave at around five in the afternoon, but he knew she had other responsibilities. Jasper was well again, at least, and the next day, Edward was as good as new.

He was so energized that he even decided to make his first actual attempt at getting a tear.

After a thorough search through Facebook in the library, Edward found quite a few old classmates who were currently staying in the area. He decided to go for the friendlier ones first – Maggie Sims and Gianna Bisognin – and was happy when they immediately responded with an affirmative to his invitation for coffee later in the day.

Edward wasn't sure if those two were particularly susceptible to crying, but he knew they comprised Forks High's joyful, over-enthusiastic prom committee. If they were capable of being so emotionally high that they literally squealed and described everything as 'so cute' all the time, then they were sensitive enough to cry at his sob story, right?

Plus, he was pretty sure they had a crush on him at some point, so that could be to his advantage.

Work flew by, or at least that's what Edward felt like. Maybe it was because he was nervous about trying to extract tears from two of his unsuspecting classmates…or maybe it had something to do with Bella's behaviour. She still greeted him and smiled when she'd see him, but Edward felt like something was just…off.

It seemed an awful lot like she was avoiding him.

_Stop overthinking, _Edward thought in a voice that sounded a lot like Scheduler's. _She spent the entire day with you yesterday! Hell, she missed a day of work just to help your sick ass. And she has a job, too, remember? Quit it with the negativity._

Edward nodded at his inner voice's words. Bella was Heaven's head baker – of course she was going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It wasn't like she was hiding or anything. He sighed; he really should stop seeing things where there aren't any.

Eventually, the end of his shift came, and Edward found himself waiting outside of the café for Maggie and Gianna. He buried his hands in his pockets and looked around until he heard their all too familiar giggles coming down the street.

"Oh my gawed, it's Jasper!" one of them shouted once they were near. "Mags, look! It's Jasper!"

"OMG, hi!" Maggie, Edward presumed, clapped happily before pulling his neck down for a hug. She quickly let him go, though.

"Sorry," she flushed slightly. "I forgot you're not really a hug person."

"It's fine," Edward smiled. "I was just…ah, a little shy back then, but hugs are…okay."

"Oh, okay. Great," Maggie grinned back just as Gianna reached for his hand. "It's so awesome to see you again, Jasper."

"You, too. Both of you," Edward gestured to the café. "So, shall we go inside?"

At their confirmation, the three entered Heaven, and occupied a slightly hidden table. Edward wasn't sure where Bella was at the moment, but he wasn't too keen on her seeing him with two other women.

"I have to say, I was more than a little shocked when you decided to chat us up on Facebook," Gianna said while she hung her coat at the back of her chair.

"Yeah," Maggie nodded. "It was a nice kind of shocked, though."

"Oh. Well, I'm just glad you ladies agreed to meet me," Edward gave them a charming smile.

Both of them giggled. "So, what's the occasion?" Maggie asked. "I mean, not that we need an occasion to meet up with you, it's just…well, you weren't exactly Social Susan in high school."

"I found the silent, brooding type kinda sexy, actually," Gianna noted.

"I just wanted to see you two again is all," Edward lied convincingly before he began his real agenda. "But…I did want to talk to you about something, too."

"What is it?" Gianna asked. She leaned on her fists in interest.

"Well," Edward paused to take a deep breath. "I'm sure you remember Edward Cullen?"

"Of course! Who could forget him?" Maggie said. "With that pretty face, toned body, and powerful mind, he's set to take over the world."

Thanks to Jasper's overactive blood vessels, Edward's ears turned red. "Er, right. Him. Well, he got into an accident recently, and he's now in a coma."

Gasps escaped both ladies.

"I-I heard of something like that happening," Maggie began in a shocked tone. "But never did I think that Edward Cullen was the victim!"

"Oh, that's horrible!" Gianna exclaimed. "Is he okay?"

"He's still in a coma, but he's stable," Edward replied. "His family really needs support right now, though. You can just imagine how difficult this time is for them."

"Is there anything we can do?"

_Yes, I need you to cry for me, _Edward thought but instead, he said "Your prayers would be greatly appreciated, and I'm sure his parents would love it if you'd go and visit."

_And your tears, dammit! I need you to give me tears!_

"We should totally do that," Gianna said. "Where is he staying?"

"Northwestern."

"Yeah, we really should," Maggie agreed. "And we should bring flowers and balloons, too! I mean, those hospital rooms can be so dreary sometimes; it can do with some cheering up."

"You're right," Gianna nodded. "His parents must be there all the time, too, so maybe we can get them cookies."

It didn't take long for the two to get sucked into their own little world as they arranged what to bring to Edward's hospital suite. Edward was happy that he found two more people who still cared about him in a way, but he was still incredibly frustrated.

_That's what you get for trying to get sympathy from the fucking _prom committee_, _Edward grumbled in his head. _Of fucking course they're just going to react to the news of your coma with more planning. _

He was very grateful when the two said goodbye a little while later; his mood was now in the dumps, and he wasn't up to socializing with them anymore.

That night, Edward's mood just got worse.

While still in Jasper's body, he decided to walk around Chicago in an attempt to clear his head. His failure to secure any tears certainly made a large dent in his confidence, but he was trying to keep a positive attitude. He couldn't give up – there was too much at stake.

And as if to remind him of that, he spotted Jacob's car parked in front of a pub.

Edward didn't bother to think – he just entered the establishment and scanned the place for his former best friend. Sure enough, he found him sitting in a booth with some people he recognized from Cullen Architecture, and none other than his equally as evil fiancée, Rosalie.

"My day just keeps getting better and better," Edward muttered to himself as he stealthily occupied a table near theirs. He figured he'd might as well do some eavesdropping.

"…so amazing, Jake!"

"Yeah, congrats man!"

"Thanks," Jacob replied with a huge grin on his face. "I can still hardly believe it!"

"Well, believe it. You deserve it."

_What the hell is everyone going on about?_

"Hey, hey, maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves here," Jacob tried to calm the atmosphere down, but it was obvious that he didn't mean what he was saying. "Maybe it wasn't me Carlisle was talking about."

"Are you kidding?" another guest retorted. "Jake, you're one of the hardest workers the firm has. No doubt it was you Carlisle was referring to."

"He's right, Rosalie simpered as she placed a seemingly innocent hand on his chest. "And who else would be better suited to help Carlisle run Cullen Architecture but you?"

"Well, we can't know for sure yet," Jacob shrugged in false modesty. "Though maybe you guys are right. Guess we just need to wait for that board meeting tomorrow before we find out if I'm getting promoted."


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, Liam. It's – oh. South Africa? Wow, that's – okay. No, no, it's alright, there's no need. Just…forward my best regards, I guess. Okay. Thanks again. Bye."

Edward dropped his head on the table just as he dropped the phone. That was the eighth call he'd made that morning, and also the eighth call with a disappointing response. He wasn't exactly mad at his former classmates and college acquaintances for not being available to meet but he was just so…_frustrated_.

Because of course Liam Howell, Tyler Crowley, and the rest of them chose this time to get married in South Africa or some shit like that.

With a sigh, he raised his head and looked at the crumpled piece of paper next to him. He had written about fifteen names on it, and with ten crossed off without any progress, he was starting to get desperate.

"Screw it," he muttered angrily, walking away from the hallway phone and back to Jasper's apartment. He truly didn't want to do anything at that moment but scowl and brood, but he knew he needed to leave soon. The firm's board meeting was set to begin in an hour, and no way in hell was Edward missing that.

Edward couldn't say he was too surprised by Jacob's possible promotion, though. Carlisle had already been thinking of doing so before, and after listening in on his and Esme's conversation last night, Edward realized just how tired his father was. Him being in a coma wasn't helping matters either.

Still, the timing could've been better, but what could Edward do about it? Such were the cards he had been given, and he had no choice but to deal with them.

…

Edward was dressed and ready to leave after a few minutes, and after a couple more passed, he was on his way to the Cullen Architecture building. He hadn't been there in what felt like a lifetime, so seeing the familiar scenery passing by the bus window hit him with a sense of nostalgia.

It also hit him with a sense of nervousness. He had yet to come up with a solid plan once he gets there. What was he going to do? Burst into the room and start yelling? Break down in front of his father? Beg? Whatever it was though, it had to be enough to stop Jacob from getting a promotion and furthering his and Rosalie's plans to take-over.

An idea struck Edward just as he got off the bus. It wasn't exactly the best, but given his poor foresight and limited time, it was something. It didn't require him to show his face or talk to anyone, at least, but it was risky, stupid, and above all, immature.

He was going to trigger the fire sprinkler system.

It was a plan plucked straight from some kid's mind, but that didn't matter. As long as it postponed the board meeting, then it was all good.

Walking up the building steps, Edward contemplated where he would snag a box of matches or a lighter. Before he could come up with anything, though, he heard an all too familiar voice call out for him.

"Jasper?"

_Ah, fucking hell._

"Hey! Jasper," Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the sound of heels clacking on concrete drew closer.

"Morning, Rosalie," he greeted politely.

"Hi," Rose replied. "I thought I recognized you. What are you doing here?"

_Shit, _Edward thought as he scrambled to conjure a good lie. "I wanted to check out the little restaurant inside," he jutted his thumb to the building behind him. "I heard they were hiring, and I wanted to check it out."

_Really? That's the best you can do?_

"Oh," Rosalie nodded, seeming completely convinced. "Looking for another job, huh? Guess Bell – er, Heaven Café doesn't meet your standards anymore."

Though her tone was conversational, Edward could hear the snide undertone to her words. He bit back a growl as he figured out that Rose was taking a jab at Bella.

"No, that's completely not the case," Edward's voice rose in volume with his bitterness, and he tried to tone it down. "Heaven's great, and the people there are even better. I just need another job is all. In times like today, sometimes just one won't cut it."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah, so if you'll just excuse me…"

"Why don't you join me for lunch?"

Edward stared at Rosalie in shock and disbelief. "What?" he asked.

"Join me for lunch," Rose repeated like she was talking to a slow person.

"Uh, I don't really think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I, uh…well," Edward cleared his throat. "I still have to check out the restaurant, and after that, I have stuff to do at home, too. And then at Heaven – "

"Jasper, relax," Rose interrupted. She placed a hand on his chest. "Everything will still be here an hour or two from now. C'mon, let's have lunch. My treat."

"Again, I don't think that would be such a good idea," Edward responded coldly. He removed her hand from his chest. "I don't want people to draw the wrong conclusion. What would they think if they saw you having lunch with another man while your fiancé's in the hospital?"

Rosalie stiffened immediately as soon as the words left his mouth, and Edward felt immensely satisfied with himself. A smug smile spread across his face.

"What people say doesn't matter," Rose eventually retorted, though by her posture, it was easy to tell that Edward got to her. "I know I'm not a cheater, and that's what's important."

_Dear God, please grant me the strength not to slap a woman. Or at least not to start yelling at her._

"Besides, it's not like we're going on a date or anything," she continued. "It's just a meal shared between friends. That's all."

Edward wanted very much to protest the 'friends' bit, but that would just waste more time. Hell, just standing there and arguing with her was a waste of time. Sighing, he finally conceded if only to get it over with. "Alright, okay. Fine. Let's go."

"Great! My friends told me about this new bistro that opened, and I've just been _dying _to try it out…"

Edward drowned out the rest of Rosalie's words as he followed her begrudgingly to the parking lot. They got into her car, and drove to whatever place she was talking about earlier.

It didn't take long for them to reach Sala Bistro, a rustic little place that boasted grand European cuisine. _At least she picked a place that actually served food that I like, _Edward thought as he browsed the menu.

A waiter arrived a little while later, and after Rosalie told him she wanted crispy salmon fillet, Edward ordered one of his all-time favourite dishes, braised lamb shank.

"So," Rose began once the waiter left. "How're things going, Jasper? We never really had the chance to talk at the anniversary ball."

"I was working," Edward shrugged unapologetically. "And I'm fine."

"That's good," Rosalie simpered. "You know, I never heard from you or heard anything about you after high school. Did you ever get to attend photography school?"

_Well, shit if I know, _Edward thought but he just blurted out a lie instead. Actually, that's what he did for the most of lunch. Rosalie seemed genuinely curious about the life of the enigmatic Jasper Whitlock, and her questions pelted Edward like annoying Nerf bullets. Still, he grinned and bore it, trying his best to answer as vaguely as possible.

"What about your love life?" Rose asked after taking a sip of wine. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Y-No," Edward replied. He initially wanted to tell her yes to get her off his back, but that would just spawn more questions about who she was, what she did, et cetera. Plus, he didn't think he could just make a person up on the spot.

"Aw, that's a shame. I thought someone as handsome as yourself would find one easily."

_Are you seriously flirting with me?_

"I'm still trying to sort my life out," Edward told her, which was true to some extent; he was trying to help Jasper get his life together as much as he could. He was trying to get his own life in order as well. "Once I'm secure in myself, hopefully I'll find the one for me.

"And anyway, the friends that surround me are more than enough for companionship and support."

"Mm," Rosalie hummed. "So you aren't interested in anyone."

"No…well," Edward paused. "I…there _is _someone, but like I said, I'm still getting myself sorted."

"Really, now," she replied, the intrigue apparent in her voice.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Who knows? Maybe someday I'll have what you and Edward have."

The mention of his name made Rosalie freeze. Her cold blue eyes met his own for only a second, and a forced smile planted itself on her face.

"Yes, well."

"It's really too bad what happened to him," Edward continued with a dramatic sigh. "And so close to the wedding, too? Such a shame."

Rosalie's eyebrows pulled together as she stared at him. "How do you know when our wedding date is? We haven't told anyone else yet – only close family and friends know about it."

_Oh, yeah. Fuck, I forgot about that part._

_Great, Cullen. You just _had _to rile her up, didn't you? _

"Edward and I are friends," he claimed with conviction. "So…yeah, he told me you wanted to be married in winter."

_More like she demanded to be married in winter, but whatever._

"Really?" Rose asked. "He's never mentioned talking to you."

"He must just be busy," Edward said with a wave of his hand. "He said your firm was taking on a lot of big clients this month."

"He never said anything about staying in contact with you throughout college, too. I don't think I've ever seen you guys communicate much in high school either."

"Ah, well, I'm just not very…sociable in environments like that. We had some classes together, though, and…we became friends through those, I guess."

The topic on his relationship with…well, himself, ended then thankfully when the waiter presented the check. As promised, Rosalie paid for everything – with the black card Edward gave her before, but still – and they left the bistro.

"Thank you for lunch, Rosalie," Edward said when they arrived back at the parking lot. "But I really do have to go now." About an hour of his time had been consumed thanks to her, and it was only a few minutes ago that he noticed.

Rosalie said something in reply, but Edward didn't hear it. He was too busy running to the firm building to hear her.

_Maybe I still have a chance, _he hoped, sprinting as fast as he could up the steps and into the revolving doors. _Maybe the meeting isn't over yet. They usually go over time, anyway, especially when Aro and Marcus get into one of their tiffs over the dividends._

As he walked through the lobby, though, his hopes shattered.

Time seemed to slow down as Edward watched Carlisle, Aro, Marcus, Jacob, and two other board members exit the elevator with smiles on their faces. Everybody was giving Jacob congratulatory pats on the back and handshakes, and though Edward couldn't hear them, he knew what had happened.

He was too late. Jacob had gotten the promotion.

…

"Fucking _HELL!_" Edward screamed as he angrily kicked a dining chair. It had been hours since he got back to Jasper's apartment, but his rage and frustration were still fresh.

He didn't even know to whom he was angry at exactly. Himself? Rosalie? His father? The Big Boss? It didn't matter anyhow. He was fuming, tired, and just completely –

"Arrgh," Edward growled, slamming his fists against the wall. "Why?! Why can't things go right for once? What the hell have I done to deserve any of this?!

"Fuck," he cursed softly when his throat began to feel sore. "Dammit, I need – I need help. All of this is getting too much."

_Scheduler, _he thought suddenly. _She has powers. Maybe she can do something!_

Edward hurriedly patted his pockets in search of his phone. When he came up empty, he rummaged through the bed, the desk, and practically turned the tiny apartment upside down. Still, there wasn't any phone to be found.

"When was the last time I saw that thing?" he asked himself as he looked around. "Yesterday. I had it yesterday when I met with Maggie and Gianna, so it has to be around here somewhere."

He continued to scan the room until he noticed the clothes hamper next to the wardrobe. "The phone must be in yesterday's pants," he decided, and quickly dug through the basket for the jeans he wore previously. Sure enough, he found his only means of summoning Scheduler there.

"Thank God," he muttered gratefully. He launched call after call to his guardian, but like before, she wasn't answering. Deciding to try again later, Edward placed the phone beside him and commenced returning the dirty clothes he had discarded back into the hamper.

As he worked, he came across the pants he was wearing when Bella came over.

It was hard to believe that that happened only a few days ago. He seemed a lot happier then, and while Bella was definitely a big factor in that, he also had some sense of success since he had just found Jacob's flash drive the day before.

And speaking of the flash drive…he had no idea where it was.

The last time Edward remembered ever seeing or even touching that USB was the day he found it, so that meant it must be in the pocket of the pants he wore that day, too.

"You really need to clear out your pockets before taking them off," he told himself while he dug through his used clothes for the second time. Fortunately, he found the jeans easily as it was washed out unlike the others that were darker.

Unfortunately, however, the flash drive wasn't there.

And even after going through every single piece of clothing in the hamper, he still couldn't find it.

"Dammit!" Edward screamed. He scrambled off the floor and tugged harder at his hair. "Fuck, what – how is that even?!" he turned angrily to the ceiling. "What are You playing at? Is this your idea of a sick joke? Making me suffer like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

He began to pace the room, kicking his phone away in the process. "I don't fucking get it! I've done – I'm doing all I can. Is this Your way of testing me again? Because guess what? I'm failing! Is that what You want? Huh? You want me to die and just let those bastards gain control of my family's company?" Tears were now streaming down his eyes. "I can't do this anymore!"

He collapsed on the bed, and started sobbing unashamedly.

"I can't – I give up!" he declared loudly. "I'm done, I'm so fucking done."

And he meant it.


	17. Chapter 17

_Dear Bella,_

Edward paused as he stared at the two words he had written. In his head, everything he wanted to say flowed so easily, but for some reason, it just wouldn't come out on the paper. He supposed it must be because this was Bella he was writing to, but it could also be because of the sadness he was feeling.

The crushing, overwhelming, and devastating sadness that was eating away at him.

Still, he gripped his pen with determination, and poured his heart out, revealing everything that happened in the most bizarre weeks of his life. He wrote about his confusion, his anger, and most of all, his regret that stemmed from hurting her. Words like '_I wish I hadn't been so blind'_ and _'just know that I love you' _filled the paper, after his name had been affixed at the bottom, his piece was complete.

Leaving Bella a letter wasn't Edward's first inclination after having his breakdown. He did want her to know everything, though, and it seemed like a written note was the best option; he didn't have the courage or the strength to talk to her in person after all. He knew leaving a letter seemed quite impersonal, but he hoped that Bella would see the sincerity in his words.

Tears blurred Edward's vision again as he folded the paper in half. Instead of giving into the wracking sobs, however, he just wiped his eyes and scrawled Bella's name with the best penmanship he could manage. By this time tomorrow, she would have read everything already, and hopefully, he would be on his way to somewhere peaceful.

The afterlife wasn't really anything Edward had considered before (even when he was informed of his current state as a spirit) but as he sat at Jasper's dining table, he found himself thinking of what would happen to him after tomorrow. He had lead a relatively good life, he thought, but would what he was planning to do be considered suicide? He wasn't sure.

"Don't stress yourself out over that anymore," Edward told himself dryly. "You'll find out soon enough."

Sighing, he got up and hid the letter beneath a loose floorboard. He then began getting ready for bed though it was only seven PM. He didn't really feel like doing anything, anyway, and he figured that it was high time Jasper got the rest he deserved.

...

Edward's gait was slow and lethargic as he made his way to Heaven the next day. After the depressing night he went through, though, his mood was completely understandable. Once Jasper had fallen asleep, he had gone to his parents to give his heartfelt, albeit unheard, goodbye's. It killed him inside to know that he wouldn't even get the chance to touch them one last time, but to him, his decision was final.

He was hopeless, broken, and just wanted the hardships to end already.

Heaven was already in full swing when Edward finally reached it. _This is good, _he thought as he clocked in with no hurry. _More people means less chances of getting caught when I bring the letter to Bella's room._

Thinking of Bella made Edward involuntarily scan the room for her. Just like the last time, he never found her, and that somehow made his sadness grow even heavier. He didn't have the strength to tell her everything face to face, but he at least wanted to see her one last time.

It looked like that wasn't going to happen, though, and he just had to be okay with that.

"Jasper! There you are!" Charlotte called suddenly, making Edward jump. "I thought you were going to call in sick again when you weren't here at opening."

"No, I'm fine now," Edward smiled weakly at his jovial boss. He was certainly going to miss her, too.

"Really?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow as she looked him over. "Because you look pale as hell, and I can tell by your voice that you aren't feeling all that good."

"I'm fine," Edward insisted, infusing more energy to his tone and stance.

"You sure? Because if this just some show of machismo – "

"No, really, Charlotte. I'm...I'm okay now," Edward tried to smile. "It was just some twenty-four bug thing – practically went away by itself last night. And anyway, I really want to work today." _Because it's the last time I'll ever be here._

"Well...okay," she still sounded sceptical. "But if you feel under the weather at any time, you tell me and head on home, alright?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alrighty then. Table two needs a clean-up, by the way."

And so, Edward worked through his last day at Heaven Cafe. He tried to commit everything about the place to memory – from Jane's usual banter, to the minimalist art that littered the walls – even though he probably wouldn't remember anything after everything was over. Again, he found himself wishing that Bella would make an appearance, but from overhearing Peter's conversation with his wife, he knew that she wouldn't be back until much later.

_It's better this way, _Edward convinced himself. _If you see her, you'll probably break down in tears again, and she'll think you're insane. Besides, her being out gives you a better shot at getting to her place._

His thoughts were proven true later when he managed to sneak up the stairs completely unnoticed.

"Just my luck," Edward muttered when he found the door to the apartment to be unlocked. He wished Bella would be more careful about her security, but for now, her carelessness was playing to his advantage. Quickly, he slipped inside, and silently closed the door.

Edward ignored the scent that was undeniably Bella that flooded the room, and inspected the area for a good place to display the letter. He wanted it to be placed somewhere that Bella wouldn't miss, but at the same time, he didn't want a location that just anyone could access.

In the end, he settled on the antique desk situated near some book cases. Bella's laptop was there together with a book she was obviously reading, so she could see it when she comes home. Finding a letter on a desk wasn't suspicious either, so no one would question it if they were ever to spot it.

As he placed the paper on top of the book, Edward felt the urge to cry again. _Jeez, when did I become such a cry baby, _he thought. He figured that was a normal reaction when imminent death was nearing, though.

And leaving the letter just felt so...final.

Edward decided to get the hell out of there, then, if only to avoid giving in to his urges and potentially alerting someone of his whereabouts. Thankfully, no one had noticed that he had left, and he returned to his duties as if nothing had happened.

...

Edward left his shift early.

That morning, he thought he wanted to stay the whole day since it was his last, but sometime after lunch time, he realized he couldn't handle it. His emotions were beginning to break his composure. So, after a quick word with Charlotte, he booked it out of there, and ended up in a nearby park.

Edward wasn't entirely sure of what he wanted to do as he walked around. It was basically his last day on Earth. Shouldn't he be doing...well, something other than wandering aimlessly like a lost puppy?

Honestly, what he really wanted to do was be with Bella. He briefly considered looking for her, but he knew better than that. Maybe he could just do some last minute good deeds.

"Yeah. Like _that's _going to do anything," Edward shook his head at the thought. Sitting on a bench, he pulled his hair before rubbing his eyes. "God, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"How 'bout you get up and start explaining to me what the bloody fuckin' hell is going on?"

Edward's head snapped up to see a very angry Scheduler standing in front of him. Her eyes were blazing and her hands were on her hips, indicating that she was mad as all out.

"Sched," he croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What am I doing here, he asks," Scheduler snorted loudly. "Shouldn't I be asking _you _that question? What the fuck have you done, Edward?!"

"Keep your voice down," Edward muttered, looking down at the ground.

"Oh, don't you try telling me what to do, Cullen. Look at me!"

Edward slowly raised his eyes to hers.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked angrily. "You were given a second chance, Edward. A second chance! And you're deciding to blow it? Do you know how incredibly _stupid _that is?!"

"I can't do it anymore, okay?!" Edward shouted back. "I just can't! I've tried my best, I've done all I could, but none of it meant jack shit!"

"But what about your family? Jacob? Rosalie? You're just going to let them take everything your father's worked for?"

"Justice was never mine to give in the first place. Your Boss can handle that on His own."

"And Bella?"

Edward fell silent.

"You have a chance to have her, Ed," Scheduler's voice went a lot softer as she kneeled in front of him. When he continued to say nothing, she continued. "Look, it's not too late. You can still get the letter you left – "

"It is, alright?!" Edward boomed so loudly that Scheduler fell backwards on her bottom. "It is! It's too fucking late. I don't want to get that damn letter back."

"Who are you and what the hell have you done with the man I met weeks ago?"

"I don't deserve her," Edward stated forcefully. "She is too kind and too beautiful for someone like me, and I refuse to stand in the way of her finding someone who would treat her like how I should've a long time ago."

"Ed, for fuck's sake," Scheduler rubbed her face. "You can still be that someone! You still have the power to change things!"

"For the last time, I don't want to anymore!" Edward roared, standing up. "I'm through!"

"Edward – "

"No, don't try to convince me anymore, Sched."

"Edward –"

"Look, I understand that it's your job to –"

"_EDWARD!_"

"What?" Edward turned to her, exasperated.

Instead of saying anything in reply, Scheduler merely pointed at his wrist.

"If you think seeing my family crest will be any type of motivation, you're..." he stopped talking once he saw his cuff.

There, nestled in one of the recesses, was a single, clover-shaped crystal.


	18. Chapter 18

Something wasn't adding up.

That was all Bella knew for certain.

What she wasn't so sure about was what exactly was wrong. As she sat in her empty apartment, she tried to come up with a reasonable conclusion from the facts she had hastily written on her notepad.

_#1. Jasper Whitlock brings back so many memories of Edward. I find myself thinking about him more than usual since Jasper started working at Heaven._

_#2. I found the coat I gifted Edward years ago in Jasper's closet. _

_#3. Jasper's personality is so much like Edward's –same charming smile, charisma, and appeal. To me, at least._

_#4. Jasper and Edward seem to have the same effect on me. They can calm me, comfort me…make me feel loved. _

So what did all of that mean?

She had no flipping idea.

Bella rubbed her face and slumped further on her couch. It was already one in the morning and she was tired as hell, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Not with the whole Jasper situation eating away at her.

She guessed she had no choice but to figure everything out, then.

Staring at her notepad for the nth time that night, Bella tried her best to think rationally. The common denominator for everything she'd written was Jasper having a lot of things common with Edward, so that meant that the two were just simply alike – probably a little too much, but there was nothing peculiar about that. People had similar personalities all the time.

There. That was a perfectly logical explanation. The reason why Jasper reminded her of Edward was because they behaved in the same manner, had similar reactions, and just happened to have the same article of clothing. Done. The end. Problem solved.

Except it wasn't. Despite her reasoning being completely plausible, Bella couldn't help but feel like it wasn't correct. There was something more to how Jasper and Edward were the same that she just wasn't getting.

"Well, what else could it be?" Bella asked herself loudly. "They have matching personalities – that's it! It's not like they're exactly the same person…"

And then suddenly, an idea hit her.

The man she had only seen again a few weeks ago made her think of the man she still loved…because they were one and the same.

Jasper was Edward.

Bella started laughing at her own thoughts. "Really?" she choked out. "That's the best you can come up with?! I need to stop watching the Sci-Fi channel. And sleep. God, I need sleep."

The more she thought about it, however, the more it seemed to be logical. Bella saw Edward's actions and heard his words through Jasper because they _were _Edward's. The smile, the pull, the mannerisms…it was all him.

And the coat! The damned coat she had given him some Christmases ago. Sure, it was probably just coincidence that Jasper owned the same kind in the same color, but what were the odds that it had the exact same coffee stain on the exact same sleeve as Edward's? Bella could still clearly remember the day she accidentally spilled her drink on the coat, and she could remember what the stain it left looked like, too.

Then there was the day when Bella broke down crying in Jasper's arms. He kept saying sorry in a tone so sincere that one might think he was the cause of her distress. What if he really was? If it truly was Edward acting at that time, then the apologies would make sense. And the way she felt comforted by his words…

_But how is that possible? Edward and Jasper being the same person? Maybe they had switched personalities or something, like with _Freaky Friday_ except the switch lasts for weeks instead of a day. Is that even a thing?_

Already feeling crazy enough, Bella decided to take it up a notch and actually look up 'personality switch' on Google. She didn't find much save for a couple wikiHow articles about how to change your own temperament, and after Googling more ridiculous phrases like 'is it possible to switch bodies' and 'can personalities be copied', she was going nowhere.

Until she came across a site that discussed supernatural possession.

Bella had to admit, she was wary to click on the link at first. The idea of possession just sounded so…demonic. Seeing _Paranormal Activity _only days before didn't help either. After a second of hesitation, though, she entered the site anyway, thinking that she had already gone insane – might as well be thorough.

The website was surprisingly void of any pentagrams or dark imagery. In fact, the whole interface was actually quite relaxing with its calming background and simple font style, and this encouraged Bella to begin reading.

The blog post was titled _Possession: The Soul's Second Chance _and talked about the fifty-day journey a person went through following his death. According to the writer, people generally don't get the chance to walk the Earth a second time by possessing hosts, but those who do get the chance only do it because they have unfinished business or because it was not yet their time to die. They are therefore given fifty days to settle everything before finally being at peace, or even returning to their original bodies.

As Bella's eyes scanned through the article, more things began clicking in her head. Edward had been in an accident that could have been fatal, but it only left him in a coma. That meant that though his body was physically resting, his soul could still be wandering around.

Was it possible that he chose to possess Jasper to 'settle everything' and get back to his body?

"This is crazy," Bella shook her head. "This is absolutely crazy. What the hell am I doing?"

And with that, she shut her laptop off and headed to bed.

…

Bella kept thinking that her brain would come up with a better explanation for the whole Jasper-Edward debacle, but she was dead wrong. For some reason, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake off the possession theory.

And that was exactly why she spent the next two days silently watching Jasper's every move.

It wasn't easy – she had to resort to hiding from him as much as she could – but in the end, she was successful. That's what she thought, anyway. She had managed to observe him properly, at least, and though she only got to watch him for a few hours at a time, she still saw so much of Edward in the way he interacted with customers and co-workers.

_So, what does that mean? That you now believe that Edward's soul has possessed Jasper's body so he can get back to his own?_

When she saw Jasper run a hand through his hair – a very Edward thing to do – Bella knew the answer.

_Yes, I do._

...

Bella was practically frozen as she stood outside of Northwestern. It wasn't because of the weather (thought the temperature was certainly beginning to drop), but it was because of her nerves.

"You're being silly," she whispered to herself. "It's just Edward. Or well, Edward's body, anyway."

Still, she couldn't help being a jittery mess. After finally accepting that the possession theory was true, she desperately wanted to see Edward – the real, physical him – but now, she was beginning to feel scared. Somehow, she felt like if she would come in contact with him, or even just be in the same room as him, something would happen. She didn't know what, but she was afraid to find out.

"Quit being such a wuss," Bella said more forcefully. "Nothing horrible's going to happen. Just go in there and do it."

Gathering as much courage as she could, she marched through the doors and managed to reach Edward's room in a few minutes. Nobody was in at the moment, but Bella was thankful for that. She didn't think she could handle putting up a front for Esme, or God forbid, Rosalie.

Bella took a deep breath before she approached the lone hospital bed in the room. Seeing Edward's form resting there stabbed her heart, but she kept moving forward until she was seated on a nearby chair.

"Hi," she greeted in whisper after a moment of silence. "Um…I…well, I'm sure you still remember, but…um…it's me. Bella.

"I know we haven't really talked much in the last couple of years, but…you're still my friend. My best friend. And I'm sorry that I let my feelings get in the way of that.

"I still saw you every day, you know. Still heard your voice in my head. Even when I tried to forget about you, you were still there. Never leaving me."

Bella tentatively reached out to hold one of Edward's hands. "And these past couple of weeks, I felt your presence even more – like you were there to really talk to me, physically hold me, apologize for…for…"

She inhaled sharply, and shook her head as if to shy away from her memories. When she spoke again, her voice was trembling.

"I – I miss you, Edward. I miss you so, so much. You're everything to me – you always have been – and I don't care if I'll only ever be your friend. Just please…come back."

A sob escaped Bella as tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. "Edward, please. Come back. I love you."

**I know, l know. Long time, no post, and when I finally do, the update is short. So sorry for that, but all I can say is: finals hell weeks. That's right – more than one.**

**I promise to post a longer chapter as soon as I can after my exams :) Please pray for my accounting grade.**


	19. Chapter 19

"Holy shit," Edward whispered in awe as he stared at his cuff. "I don't…I don't understand."

"It's happened, Ed," Scheduler's tone was giddy. "You have your first tear!"

"But-But that's impossible," Edward stuttered. A shaky finger reached out to stroke the crystal clover.

"Impossible? Dude, you're looking at the tangible, totally real evidence as we speak. You did it!"

"I did it," Edward repeated. His lips quirked into a smile and a small laugh escaped him. "Holy…I actually _did _it!"

The urge to do a victory was strong, but Edward held back. He wasn't sure if the people around him could even see him given Scheduler's powers, but he wasn't going to take the chance. After all, it looked like he was going to be seeing the people of Chicago for a lot longer than he thought.

"This is surreal," Edward sat down, eyes still on his cuff. "Who did it?"

"Did what?"

"Who gave the tear? Or, y'know, cried for me?"

"I can't tell you that."

Edward looked up at her in surprise. "What? Why?"

"It's the rules," Scheduler shrugged. She sat down next to him on the bench. "I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Right," Edward said, but his mind commenced scanning through all the names and faces he knew.

_It can't be Maggie or Gianna, and it definitely couldn't have been Rose or Jacob. Newton? Nah, highly unlikely. Or maybe Bella…_

Edward's back suddenly snapped ramrod straight. "Oh crap."

"What?"

"Bella, Sched!" he turned to Scheduler. "The freakin' letter I left Bella!" 

In a split second, Edward was up and running towards Heaven.

"So does this mean you're done being a drama-llama and actually staying to make things right?" Scheduler asked as she easily kept up with his longer legs.

"Yes, yes, I'm staying," Edward replied hastily. "But I won't be here for long if Bella gets her hands on that letter and finds out everything!"

"Okay, first off, I'm glad as all out that you've finally come to your senses, and second, calm down for a sec! Do you even know what you're gonna do once you get back to the café?"

Edward's steps slowed as he considered her words. "Well…no. I'm kinda just…gonna wing it, I guess."

Scheduler rolled her eyes. "Wing it? You're going to wing it when you have a totally awesome and powerful ally right here?" She pointed to herself.

"Oh," Edward nodded as he slowly realized that his companion was capable of…well, a lot of things he didn't know about, probably. "Okay, then. So you can help?"

"I – " Scheduler was interrupted by her glowing and vibrating necklace. "Aw, great. I'm sorry, Ed, but you're going to have do this on your own. I have to go."

"But –" Edward began, but before he could get any more words out, Scheduler disappeared.

"Perfect timing," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and tugging.

It looked like he had no other choice than to go with his original idea: winging it.

…

Edward walked into Heaven for the second time that day with just an inkling of what he planned on doing. For lack of better ideas, he had decided that he was just going to do the same thing he did earlier – sneak up to Bella's apartment, but retrieve the letter instead of leaving it. The problem this time around, though, was that it was nearly three PM, which meant that there wouldn't be much people around to cover his tracks.

He just had to be stealthier, he guessed.

With one last mental push, Edward walked through the doors with the least amount of spectacle he could manage, and casually sat at one of the tables near the stairs. He pretended to play with his phone for about a minute and a half until he finally decided that it was the perfect time to move.

_Okay, I'll make a run for it on three. One…two…_

"Jazz!"

_Mother. Fucker._

Edward closed his eyes in complete annoyance and deflation. Today was just the day for excellent timings, wasn't it? Eventually, he opened them only to see Rosalie Hale happily approaching his table.

"Hey," Rose greeted before unceremoniously plopping her ass on the seat in front of him. "I was hoping I would catch you today."

"You don't say."

"Yeah," Rose smiled. Edward wondered how she could be so oblivious to his obvious disinterest. "I was just thinking about how much fun we had when we had lunch together a couple days ago, so I figured maybe we can go out again. Y'know, for a bite to eat."

_Are you freaking kidding me around now?_

"Uh, I really can't, Rosalie. Sorry," Edward didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "I'm…kinda busy."

Rosalie's perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched as she looked back at him. "Busy. With what? I mean, you're not even working right now."

"Oh, I know. What I meant was, I'm…actually waiting for someone."

"Oh? Who?"

"Uh…"

Just then, the bell above the door rang, and in walked Edward's last-second salvation.

"Bella!" he called out, waving like an idiot as he did. "Bella, hey!"

Bella looked a little startled at the sound of her name, and when she saw who was trying to get her attention, a small, watery smile graced her lips.

"E – Jasper," she croaked once she was close to Edward's table. After a cough to clear her voice, she spoke again. "Hi."

"Hi," Edward smiled brightly at her as he stood and moved to her side. He was about to pull her in his arms for a hug, but managed to stop himself.

"Hey, Rosalie."

"Bella," Rosalie's response was curt. "It's good to see you again."

"Um, you, too."

"You're right on time, by the way." Edward interrupted the cold exchange.

"On time?"

"Yeah. We were going to hang out today, right?" Edward pleaded to her with his eyes to play along. "Rosalie just stopped by for a...chat while I was waiting for you."

"Oh. _Oh,_" Realization dawned on Bella as she looked from Edward's hopeful eyes to Rose's hard glare. "Right. Right, um, let me just...leave some of my stuff upstairs and we can –"

"No!" Edward blurted. "I mean, no, we can just hang out at your place."

"Okay. That sounds like a good idea," Bella smiled up at him. "So, uh, I guess we should...head up, then."

"Right. Yeah," Edward turned to Rosalie. "We'll see you around, Rose."

"Mm," Rose simply hummed in response as she stood up as well. "I guess we'll just have our lunch date some other time, then." She looked at Bella with a saccharine grin plastered on her face. "We had the _greatest _time at Sala Bistro the other day. It's a shame Jasper has...other obligations today."

Edward saw Bella's eyes drop to the floor, and that's when he had enough. Without any hesitation, he wrapped an arm around Bella, gave Rosalie a short goodbye, and led the way up the stairs.

"Well, that was close," Edward muttered once they were out of sight. "Nice timing, by the way. You got me out of a tight situation there."

When he didn't hear any sort of reply, Edward turned to Bella to catch her staring at him. "What?" he asked self-consciously. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry! Uh, nothing – nothing's wrong," Bella hurriedly answered. "Just got a lot on my mind today, that's all. I must've – ah, zonked out."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all good." Bella smiled and buried her hands in her pockets. "So, uh, shall we?" She gestured forward.

"Good idea," Edward nodded, stepping aside to let her open the door to her apartment. His eyes zoned in on the desk as soon as he entered.

"Do you want something to drink? Or eat?" Bella offered while she took off her coat.

Edward's stomach growled loudly at the thought of food; he had forgotten to eat anything earlier, and knowing Bella's culinary expertise, he was eager to chow down.

"I can do with some food. I mean, if you don't mind, of course."

"It's really no trouble," Bella insisted. She gestured to her living room. "Go ahead and make yourself at home. I'll just...get the stuff ready."

Edward smiled and nodded in thanks, and as soon as she had her back turned, he slowly inched his way to her desk.

_There it is – just sitting on top of the book like how I left it._

_Well, no shit, Sherlock. Where else would it be?_

_I don't know – maybe someone had gone in here and moved it or something. Her door was never locked for Pete's sake._

_Enough of the mental jabbering. Just reach out and grab – _

"So, um, what was going on?"

Edward nearly jumped a foot in the air, and quickly retracted his hand. "Sorry, what?"

"With...Rosalie," Bella turned from her place in the kitchen to look at him. "I mean, not that I'm trying to pry or anything, but..."

"Oh. With Rosalie. Uh..." Edward scratched the back of his neck. "She was just being overfriendly." _As usual. _"I wasn't even expecting her to be there."

"Oh. So...you weren't..."

"No, I...well, to be honest, I really didn't want to speak to her, so it was great that you walked in and played along. Thanks for that, by the way. I know I'm not exactly in your plans today, so..."

Bella's expression turned unreadable for a split second, but her usual warm grin lit up her face again. "It's okay. Sorry, I'm just a little confused. I figured you guys must be...friends or something. I mean, she mentioned you guys going to lunch together...?" 

_Fucking Rosalie and her stupid mouth. _"Yeah, about that. One of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I only agreed to go with her 'cause I was in a hurry and she wouldn't leave me alone."

"I see," Bella turned to the counter, and back with a tray of food. "Well, I made sandwiches. I hope that's okay – "

"No, that's totally fine," Edward pushed the letter out of his brain for a minute as all he could register was the nirvana Bella had placed on the counter. And it truly was nirvana. Edward had to hold back a groan after taking a bite.

It didn't take long for the plate to be emptied between the two of them, and as much as Edward wanted to keep chatting with Bella, he knew he had to get back his letter first.

"Your book collection is massive," he remarked as he casually walked to the book cases near the desk. "Though I can't say I'm surprised – your head was always buried in a book in high school."

"Yeah," Bella chuckled. "My dad used to say I could open up a library with the books I have."

"He's right," Edward chuckled with her. He placed his hand on her desk, and slowly slid it until it was right on top of the letter. "And your desk is an antique?" He needed to keep her talking and distracted from what his hand was doing.

"Uhuh," Bella replied. "It was actually my grandma's originally."

"That's cool," Edward faced her while he oh-so-subtly brought the paper closer to him. Once it was near enough, he leaned forward a bit, and hurriedly stuffed it into his pocket. "And she gave it to you?"

"No, she gave it to my dad. And when he, um, passed away, he left it for me."

Edward's eyes grew wider. He knew all about Renee's drama, but he had no idea that Charlie had passed. The old police chief seemed so invincible. "He...oh. I'm sorry, Bella." And he really was. Bella must have felt so alone. Sure, she had her aunt and uncle, but he couldn't help but feel like he could have helped her through her grief.

Bella's eyes averted to the floor. "It was just about a month ago. Lung cancer. It was a…really long and terrible disease, so I'm just happy now that he's at peace."

"I'm sorry," Edward murmured again. "I didn't know."

"It's okay," Bella's reply was muffled against his chest. "I just...it's still kinda hard for me to talk about."

"I'm sorry."

"You really should stop apologizing," Bella smiled slightly. "So, do you still wanna hang out, or was that just an excuse to get away from Rosalie?"

Edward's responding grin was so wide, it hurt his cheeks. "I don't mind hanging out for a few more minutes."

...

Bella was back at her laptop the second she was alone in her apartment. She and Edward had talked for hours, and if anything, the additional time she'd spent with him only solidified the whole possession thing – it might have been Jasper's body he was seeing, but it was definitely Edward whom she was talking to.

She was confused about a few things, though. Like with his avoidance of Rosalie. They were engaged! Why would he be looking for excuses to not spend time with her?

"I mean, he was perfectly content to spend the afternoon with _me,_" Bella muttered as she browsed her browser history.

_Maybe it was because he felt guilty. After your whole spiel about him replacing you with Rosalie, he probably feels obligated to spend time with you._

_Possible, but that doesn't seem like it._

_So, what are you suggesting, then? That he's finally discovered that you're actually the love of his life and that Rosalie's a ho-bag?_

That idea sounded so much like one of her day dreams in high school that Bella had to laugh. Shaking her head, she decided to just forgo the whole Rosalie situation and focus on something more important.

Now that she knew of Edward's predicament, she wanted desperately to help him. She didn't know what the next step was, though. Should she tell him that she knew? Or would that just make things worse for him? If it was the latter, what else was left for her to do, then?

With all those queries running around in her head, Bella finally found what she was looking for, and quickly clicked the link. In seconds, she was back at the blog post about the soul's fifty-day journey, and it was there where she hunted for answers.

Bella scoured the entire blog site, but unfortunately, her questions remained unanswered. She did find the author's information though, and after finding out where she lived, Bella decided on her next move.

She was going to pay Forks' resident paranormal expert a visit.

...

"Hey Alice," Jasper greeted as Mel's regular customer walked through the diner doors. He waved at her just as a yawn ripped through him.

"Hey," Alice sat at one of the high chairs. "You look tired."

"Thanks. You look nice, too." Jasper replied dryly.

Alice laughed. "Oh, you know I didn't mean it that way."

"I know," Jasper grinned at her. "I just...it seems like the sleep walking's getting worse, if that's what's causing this. I'm so freakin' tried all the time, I can't remember anything, and it's driving me insane!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down," Alice placed her hand on his. "Whatever it is that's going on, we can fix it."

Jasper tried to ignore the tingles that shot up his spine every time he touched her, and instead rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "I don't know what to do, though. Hell, you'd think that with so much work I've been doing, I should be getting some decent sleep."

"Well…have you thought about my hypnotherapy suggestion?"

"I have, actually."

"And?"

"And...I think I'll take it."

_27 Days to Go._


	20. Chapter 20

Jacob pouted as he leaned against the dresser. "I'm serious, Rose," he said. "Why won't you let me come with you? We can spend a few days in Seattle, maybe visit – "

"I can't, Jake," Rosalie's tone was exasperated. She folded a blouse and tossed it into her luggage. "I thought we already agreed on this."

"No, _you _agreed. I all out protested," Jacob pushed off of his post to stand behind her. "Come on…why won't you let me come?" he asked, running his hands up and down her arms.

Rosalie sighed. "Jacob," she said sternly. "You know I'd love to spend some time with you, but this trip isn't just some vacation. I'm visiting Mom."

Jacob huffed and stepped back. "What, and I'm not good enough to meet your mother now?"

"You know it isn't like that," Rose turned around to face him. "I've already spoken to Dr. Cheney, and he said that Mom's not doing so well these days. He figures that maybe seeing a familiar face might help her, but she's not really up for any…strange visitors."

"Well, I still don't like it." Jacob said. A brief moment of silence passed before he sighed and spoke again. "Rosie," he began in a whiney tone. "I just…I don't know. I feel like I can never get you alone these days. I just want to spend some time with you all to myself."

Rosalie wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right. Things at the firm were hectic for both of them, so that meant less private get-togethers and more business meetings. Plus, there was Jacob's added responsibilities since being promoted.

Then, of course, there was Rosalie's fascination for Jasper Whitlock.

She didn't know what it was, but she was just…interested in the guy. Perhaps it was her slight high school crush on him resurfacing, or maybe it was that he had somehow gotten hotter over the years, but she just felt like spending time with him.

And that's exactly what she'd done.

She had been successful in luring him out to lunch once, but then Bella Swan just had to swoop in and ruin everything the second time around. It looked like the girl hadn't gotten less annoying since their time in high school.

"Rose, are you even listening to me?"

Rosalie blinked quickly, and looked at Jacob. "What?"

"See! This is what I'm talking about!" Jacob exclaimed. He began pacing the room. "We're not communicating anymore, Rosie. I mean, when was the last time we ever just...talked to each other?"

"We talk all the time," Rosalie grumbled.

"Yeah, but all it's always been about business."

"We went out to that bar not a week ago!"

"That was with co-workers," Jacob argued. "The last time we went on a proper date was ages ago!"

Rosalie threw her hands in the air in frustration. "What the hell do you want from me, Jake? You know we can't go out in public together as a couple so often. As far as everyone knows, I'm still engaged. We already discussed this before we began this relationship, and you were fine with it then."

"And I'm still fine with it now. What I'm _not _fine with is how we're not...as close as we were."

"I still come home to you every night, don't I?"

"But that's not enough," Jacob insisted. "And is this really all this relationship is to you? Sex?"

Rosalie slowly exhaled. "You know that's not what I meant," she said in a much softer tone. "Look, I'm sorry, Jake. Really, I am. And I'll make it up to you, I promise, but I need to do this on my own. This is my mom. If the doctor thinks it would be better for her if I visit her alone, then I'm going alone."

Jacob wanted to stay mad at her for longer, but when he saw her apologetic face, he gave in. "It's okay," he told her. He opened his arms, and she willingly went into his embrace. "I'm sorry for pushing you. I care about your mom's well-being too, y'know. I guess I just got a little insecure."

"There's nothing and no one for you to be insecure over," Rosalie told him.

"I know, I know," Jacob sighed. He pulled away to look at her in the eyes. "Promise me we'll work harder on us when you get back?"

"I promise."

...

The flight to Forks wasn't all that long, but Rosalie was still impatient to get back to her hometown. She was eager for the change of scenery, and more importantly, for her mother.

It had been a while since she last saw her, but as soon as Dr. Cheney called and informed her of the old woman's worrying state, Rose made plans to visit as soon as possible. Now, as she sat in her taxi, she thought about what she wanted to say and all the good news she had to share.

Surely, those would cheer her mother up.

Saint Catherine's Asylum was seemed different since Rose last visited. The building's façade had a new coat of paint, she noticed, and lilies had been added to the front yard of the establishment.

Rosalie hoped they had planted lilies everywhere else as well – they were her mother's favourite flowers after all.

After registering at the front desk and receiving her visitor's ID, Rosalie followed an attendant to the courtyard that sat in the middle of the facility. There were many patients in the standard blue scrubs loitering around, but she spotted her mother easily near the fountain.

"Lily," the attendant spoke softly as they approached. "Lillian. You have a special visitor today. Rosalie's here."

"Hi, Mama," Rose greeted with a small smile on her face. She moved so she was sitting on the fountain's edge, right in front of her dazed mother. "It's Rosie."

Lillian didn't respond, and Rosalie took one of her hands in hers.

"Dr. Cheney told me you aren't...doing so well these days," she continued. "It's just that time of the year again, huh?" Rosalie closed her eyes as the story that started it all played in her mind once again. She had only been sixteen when the events occurred, but she could remember everything in clear detail as if it had only happened yesterday.

About a decade ago, Joseph Hale was the internal accountant of Cullen Architecture, a small, fledging firm that sprouted its roots in Seattle, Washington. Rosalie didn't see her father a whole lot what with her and Lillian residing in Forks, but it was okay. Joseph always brought home a hefty salary, and their family was flourishing.

Everything was going well until the fateful day when Carlisle Cullen sued Joseph for tampering with company records and stealing more than a million dollars. Rosalie knew her father was innocent, but unfortunately, the court didn't agree. Before she knew it, her father was thrown in jail, her mother went insane, and she was left to deal with everything.

As if that wasn't enough hardship already, a few months into his jail term, Joseph died from a heart attack in the middle of his cell. Lillian's condition worsened from the news, and once again, Rosalie was left alone to keep things together.

She had never been so angry in her whole life. In the blink of an eye, everything was stripped from her, and she only had Carlisle Cullen to blame. As she stewed in her own anger and contempt, the idea of taking the Cullen family down hatched in her mind, and in the years that followed, she slowly began to put her plans into action.

She knew that her first step was to get close to the family, and what way was easier than dating the devil's son? Edward Cullen was not an easy nut to crack, but when she'd succeeded in sinking her claws into him, everything else began falling into place. They were engaged soon after graduating college, Edward was slated to one day take over the company, and Rosalie would soon avenge her father.

Sure, there were a few unexpected events like Jacob confessing his attraction to her and Edward's accident, but Rosalie made sure to use them to her advantage. With Jacob at her side, she had more chances of taking over Cullen Architecture, and with Edward in a coma, there was one less person to get in her way.

Rose let out a humorless chuckle, and shook her head to return to the present. "I know you miss Dad. I miss him, too." She gave Lillian's hand a squeeze.

"But it's okay now. Everything's falling into place, Mama. Soon, it will all be better."

...

"Oof!" Bella almost fell on her ass as she pulled her rucksack out of the closet. She was set to leave for Forks the next day, and had put packing off to the last minute. _It doesn't matter, _she grumbled to herself. _You won't be staying for long, anyway. Just pack what you need._

Bella started packing her essentials after shaking the old bag to rid it of dust. An extra shirt and jacket were thrown in together with a small bag of toiletries. She set her wallet and passport aside as well, and last but not the least, the notepad where she had written the address of Victoria Hester, Forks' paranormal expert.

After she finished, Bella decided to head back down to Heaven. She would be gone again for the whole day tomorrow, and she still had cake orders to fill. Charlotte and Peter had allowed her to take another day off of work without any protest, but Bella knew she had work obligations to fulfil first.

She was just about to open her door when a knock resonated from the other side. The confusion that Bella felt disappeared as soon as she turned the knob and Edward's smiling face appeared.

"Hey," she greeted, a smile taking over her own face.

"Hi," Edward responded. "Charlotte asked me to bring another lunch tray to you."

"Oh," Bella only noticed the tray he was carrying when he mentioned it. "Okay. Thank you. Um, would you mind bringing it in?"

"Not at all."

Bella stepped aside to allow Edward to enter, and closed the door softly once he was inside. Edward set the food on the dining table, and turned to her with his hands boyishly in his pockets.

"So, uh, Charlotte mentioned that you're...going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Bella said. "I'm headed to Forks tomorrow."

"Forks?"

"I have some...stuff I need to do there. No big deal, really," Bella shrugged.

"When will you be back?"

"The day after tomorrow. I'll just be spending the day there, then I'll fly back to Chicago tomorrow night."

Edward nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well...I hope you'll have a safe flight."

"Thanks E – erm, Jasper."

"Yeah," Edward cleared his throat. "So, uh, is that what you've been doing up here? Packing, I mean."

Bella chuckled. "Yep. It's pretty last minute, but I won't need a lot. Besides, I'll just be there for one day."

"You have a point there."

A slightly awkward silence filled the room then, and Bella tried to think of something to say that can make Edward stay a little longer. Before she could open her mouth, however, Edward spoke first.

"I guess I should leave you to your lunch then. It's, uh, roast beef sandwich with a side of coleslaw."

"Oh, okay." Bella deflated slightly. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. I didn't cook it."

"But you still brought it up."

"Just obeying orders, ma'am," Edward smiled brightly at her. "Have a safe trip, Bella. Be back soon, okay?"

Bella nodded and made her way to the dining table at the same time Edward decided to leave his spot. A tangle of bodies between the sofa and console table was the result.

"Wait, wait," Edward laughed, putting his hands on Bella's hips to keep her steady. "Let's survey the situation for a second."

"Alright," Bella giggled. "You know, I feel like we're in one of those clichéd scenes from young adult romance stories."

"Yeah? And what scene would that be?"

"The scene where the guy and the girl would somehow run into each other and end up being _really _close to each other."

"And you think we're that guy and that girl in this story, huh?" Edward turned to face her with a smirk.

Bella's blush answered that question. "I...well, uh...I didn't – "

Edward chuckled. "I was just teasing you, Bells." Though he really did wish that they played those characters. Unfortunately, their love story was a lot more complicated.

"We really do need to get out of this mess, though," Edward said. "I'm going to twist my body this way so you can go the other way, alright?"

"Okay," Bella agreed. With some careful manoeuvring, Bella was close to freeing herself, but that was when her clumsy nature decided to betray her, making her trip on her own feet.

Luckily, Edward was there to catch her, but he was too late. Both of them toppled to the floor in a mass of misplaced limbs and laughter.

"Okay, that didn't go as planned," Edward remarked, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He was lying on top of Bella with his arms at either side of her head.

"Yeah, that was...a disaster," Bella smiled as a blush erupted through her cheeks. "And we're in another one of those clichéd scenes where –"

Edward didn't let her finish because he pulled a young-adult-romance-cliché move of his own.

He kissed her.

**Happy Holidays everyone!**


	21. Chapter 21

Edward braced himself as he opened the door to Jasper's apartment. It wasn't because he was expecting some kind of physical attack once he entered, but it was because he just knew what he was in for once he was inside.

And that would be Scheduler's infamous nagging.

Edward knew what he did was reckless, and he knew that now wasn't the time, but kissing Bella just seemed so…right. And really, what else could he have done? He was close to his best friend – the woman he'd finally realized he was in love with. He couldn't help but kiss her. The situation was, as Bella had said, something straight out of a clichéd young adult romance novel. Might as well do something a romance novel hero would've done, right?

_Or maybe you could've controlled yourself and waited until you were back to your own body, _Edward's inner thoughts sarcastically remarked.

"Shut up," Edward grumbled quietly when he couldn't think of a decent retort to that. With a deep breath, he stuck his key in, and stepped into the room of his execution.

Except the executioner wasn't there.

"Sched?" Edward called out tentatively, but he received no response. He dug into his pocket for his phone and quickly dialed her number, but he didn't get an answer from that either.

"Huh. Guess I'm spared for today," Edward mused. He lay on the bed, left Jasper's body to rest, and quickly bolted out of the apartment to visit his body. He hadn't seen it in a while, and he wasn't sure if the roller coaster of decisions he'd gone through the past couple days had any effect on it, but he decided it was better to check.

Nothing had happened, though. Or at least, none that Edward could actually tell. Upon arriving in his hospital room, he found his body lying in the same position as the last time he'd seen it. He also saw Esme sitting quietly on a nearby chair, knitting what looked like a Christmas sweater.

"Hey, mom," Edward greeted. He walked closer to her, but didn't bother trying to touch her. "Guess what? I'm staying after all." He chuckled slightly and ran a hand through his hair.

"You can chalk up my breakdown from just…stress, I guess," he continued. "And you've always said I had a tendency to be over-dramatic. Heh, I – "

Edward was interrupted when Esme's phone started ringing. Putting her knitting down, Esme dug through her purse until her hand emerged with the vibrating device.

"Hello? Oh, Rosalie! How is Forks, dear?"

_Forks?_

Edward's head whipped towards his mother so quickly that if he probably would have had whiplash had he been alive. What the hell was Rose doing in Forks?

"That's wonderful. And how is your mother, by the way? Alright?"

Well, that explained it. Rose went home to visit Lillian. Edward never really knew her, but he did know that she was housed in a facility.

"Oh. Oh, I see. Are you sure that – well, okay. I'll be sure to tell Carlisle that you'll be extending your stay. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

So there was more to her visit. Edward should've known. Knowing now how devious Rosalie could be, she had to have another motive for heading back to their hometown.

_What was up with people and going to Forks these days?_

Well, it didn't matter. Either way, Edward knew that he was going to have to head to Forks as well. To do what? He wasn't so sure yet. He had to know what Rosalie was up to, though.

Now if he only knew how.

…

Bella was in a bit of a daze as the taxi she rode passed the 'Welcome to Forks' sign. Actually, she'd been in a daze since yesterday when Edward had kissed her.

_Holy moly. Edward kissed me!_

She felt incredibly giddy and confused whenever she thought of it. For one, there was the fact that…well, he kissed her, but he was still engaged. Sure, he didn't want to speak to his fiancée last time Bella checked, but still. Did the kiss just solidify her errant thought that Edward finally sees Rose in her true, vapid form, and her as more than a friend?

"God, this is a mess," Bella muttered quietly into her hands lest the driver hear her. She was in the process of untangling everything though, and it all began with the chat she was about to have with Victoria Hester.

Bella quickly paid the cab driver and readjusted her jacket as she stood outside a small cottage. She double checked that this was indeed the address she had written, and after confirming that it was, she tentatively rang the doorbell.

There was no response.

With more confidence this time, Bella rang again, and when that had no successful outcome, she knocked rapidly on the door. _Maybe no one's home, _Bella thought, but when she heard scuffling in the backyard, she knew that wasn't the case.

Bella made her way to the source of the noise, and saw someone hunched over a plot of roses. She cleared her throat, and the person straightened and turned to her immediately.

"Hi," Bella smiled her friendliest. "Um, sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I'm looking for Victoria Hester."

"Who's asking?" the woman – Victoria, Bella presumed – asked, though not unkindly.

"My name is Bella Swan," Bella replied. "I read your article about, um, supernatural possession, and I have some questions. I was hoping you can answer them."

Victoria stared at Bella for what seemed like a long time before she rose to her feet. "Follow me," she said, leading the way inside her small abode through the back door.

"You have a lovely home," Bella complimented politely as she stepped in. The exterior may have seemed like a quaint little cottage, but the inside was filled with dream catchers and some strange-looking paintings. Books cluttered what looked like every available surface, and there were a lot of succulent plants scattered around, too.

"Thank you. My grandfather built it himself. You can have a seat if you want."

Bella sat down at one of the kitchen chairs while Victoria set about removing her gardening gloves. The latter then took a deep breath and sat on another chair.

"What is it you wanted to know?"

"Well, I was just wondering if it was…okay…for people to know if a soul was going through the whole…process."

Victoria cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Is it okay for other people to be aware that this certain person is actually possessed by a soul?" Bella attempted to be less convoluting. "I mean – "

"No, no, I understand now. And I can honestly tell you that I don't know."

Bella visibly deflated. "But, I thought you were an expert – "

"Of the occult and the paranormal in general, yes, I'd like to think that I am," Victoria interrupted. "But this particular topic…no, I've only encountered one instance of possession before, and even then, I was in no position to gather answers."

"Can I ask why?"

"It was my great aunt," Victoria said. "When I was about nine years old, it happened to her. I don't remember much of the details, but when she woke up, she told us about what she went through. Every other person in our family thought she was insane, of course, but I could tell that she was telling the truth. I wanted to ask her so many questions, but even the mere mention of Great Aunt Matilda's 'hokum nonsense' earned me a slap on the wrist from my mother.

"That didn't stop me from being curious. When I was about sixteen, I tried finding more about the whole process of possession, but I never really uncovered the whole story. Everything you've read in my blog is the result of fifteen years of research."

Victoria looked at Bella straight in the eyes. "So I'm guessing you know of someone who's being possessed as well?"

Bella hesitated, and then reluctantly nodded. "Yeah."

"And you two are close – you and the host, I mean. Otherwise, you wouldn't notice how he's suddenly changed."

"Um, no. Not really," Bella said. "Not me and the…host, no. I – You mean the person being possessed when you said 'host', right?"

"Yes, that would be him," Victoria nodded. "Hm, so that would mean that you're close to the soul, then."

"Uh…well, it's complicated."

"I see," Victoria looked a little amused. "Well Miss Swan, I'm sorry I can't really give you any specific answers, but I do suggest that you keep your knowledge to yourself. It's safer that way for everyone involved; after all, you wouldn't want your friend to be distracted while he attempts to fulfill his mission."

"But what if I want to help him?"

"You knowing but keeping silent is, in a way, helping already. You'll understand why your friend does some of the things he does, why he's acting the way he is. Life is literally at stake here, Miss Swan. If you aren't careful, you may become the reason why he won't wake up at all."

…

"Wow, so this is Forks, huh?" Irina pondered out loud. "You weren't kidding when you said it was this dreary!"

"Yeah," Edward chuckled and nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. As he stared out the window of the rental car, he scrambled to think of his next move.

The past twenty-four hours have been a flurry of hectic, snap decisions for him. After deciding against stealing from himself again, Edward decided to find another way to get to Forks, and that just happened to be Rosalie's apparently gullible roommate.

Edward was through Chicago when he ran into Irina. He knocked the bag of groceries off her arms, and after apologizing and offering to carry the bag back to her apartment, the idea of maybe getting her to bring him to Forks had hatched in his head.

"I kinda overheard her talking to Jacob the other day," he had lied. "Jacob can't really follow her there what with work and all, but she really does need a friend right now."

Irina's look had been that of concern. "It must be because she hasn't seen her mom in a really long time. And with the stress of her job…oh, I wish I could be there for her!"

"You can," Edward had pushed. "Seattle's only a three-hour flight away, and Forks isn't far from there."

Irina had already looked sold on the idea then, and with a little more persuasion, Edward finally succeeded in convincing her to travel to Forks, and taking him with her. It seemed like his streak of good luck just kept going then, since Irina had refused to let him pay for his ticket, stating that she had enough miles to cover both of them.

And now, here they were, riding through Forks with Edward under the guise of concern for Rosalie. Now that his initial goal was completed, though, Edward didn't know what he was going to do next.

"Do you know what hotel Rosie's staying at?" Irina asked. "I don't remember her mentioning anything."

_Well, how should I know? _"Uh, maybe she's staying at her family's house." _Do the Hales still own that place? _"Or…I don't really know."

"Hmm," Irina's brow puckered in concentration. "Maybe we should call –"

"No! No, that would ruin the surprise," Edward exclaimed. He didn't want to alarm Rosalie of his presence yet. "Let's just go to check out the local bed and breakfasts. Forks doesn't really have much in terms of hotels, anyway."

Irina agreed, and they were soon on their way to the various inns around town. After seeing two and finding no Rosalie, Edward suggested that they split up and look for her throughout Forks.

"Are you sure?" Irina verified for the third time.

"Yeah, we'll find her faster this way," Edward nodded. In all honesty, though, he just needed some room to think. Irina was a nice girl and all, but she was the type who could just talk your ear off.

"But what if I get lost?"

"You won't," Edward said. "This town is about the size of your thumb. You'll find everything easily, and if you do get confused, the locals are all really friendly. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Edward didn't hear Irina's reply as he was already out of the car then. He pulled his hood up to both protect his head from the drizzle, and to deter people from seeing his face. After all, the last thing he needed was anyone recognizing him, or Jasper, rather.

The rain was beginning to come down hard when Edward started to feel a dizzy. Black spots appeared around the edges of his vision, and he everything around him was starting to spin. Slowing his walk, he found a wall he could lean on, but as soon as his body rested against the brick, the seemingly impossible happened.

He left Jasper's body.

"What the fuck?!" he shouted, hands pulling at his hair. Quickly, he kneeled beside Jasper's body, and set about getting back to possessing him.

Once he opened his eyes, though, he knew he wasn't in Forks anymore.

Edward stood slowly, and looked around. "It's the school fair," he realized as he gazed at the familiar booths and games. So he _was _still in Forks, but…how on Earth did he get to the fair? Edward was beyond confused.

"Bella," a very familiar voice called out from somewhere. Edward turned to see his sixteen-year-old self a few feet away. "Come on, just one more bite."

"Edward," fifteen-year-old Bella laughed. "If I eat anymore, I'm going to burst out of these jeans!"

"But I can't finish this corndog by myself."

Bella looked at him incredulously. "Really, Cullen? You're telling me that your black hole stomach can't handle one more corn dog?"

_Okay, I must be dreaming or something, _Edward thought to himself as he watched the younger version of himself banter back and forth with Bella. How else could he explain what he was seeing?

Younger Edward was just about to shove the last bit of the corndog into Bella's mouth when a petite girl and a tall, lanky boy approached the pair, a basket slung through the girl's elbow. Edward couldn't tell who they were from where he was standing, so he moved closer to find out.

"Would you like to buy a rose?" the boy asked, and Edward quickly recognized him.

_Jasper._

"Sure, I'll take one," Younger Edward nudged Bella's shoulder. "A pretty flower for a pretty lady."

A blush covered Bella's cheeks. "Oh, um, that's not necessary."

"Don't worry about it. How much?"

"Just three dollars," the girl holding Jasper's hand spoke. "All our proceeds go to the orphanage."

"That's nice of the drama club," Bella remarked. "I mean, you _are _selling these for the drama club, right?"

"Of course," the girl said. "I wouldn't be doing this kind of thing for any other organization."

"And I wouldn't be doing this for just any girl," Jasper chuckled and kissed the top of the girl's head. The girl giggled, and the sound rang bells in Edward's mind. The voice, the laugh…it all seemed so familiar to him. He looked at her more carefully, and suddenly, he realized who she was.

"Scheduler?"


End file.
